Blood Bond
by lucablue
Summary: Sam and Dean are pushed to their limits when the hunters become the hunted. There's no such thing as a simple hunt!
1. Chapter 1

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

**Chapter 1**

Sam and Dean Winchester trudged along the barely there mountain track. It had been raining now for nearly 48 hours straight and didn't look likely to stop anytime soon.

"Sam, where exactly is this water devil supposed to be?" Dean asked in an almost accusing tone.

"Like I told you before Dean, it prefers caves or crevices near a water source – you read the notes too. The local papers have reported five bodies found along Campbell's Trail in the last 6 months and that guy reported missing on the local news last night makes six. I don't know exactly where it's gonna be Dean but we've got to find it. We can't let that thing, kill anyone else."

"I get it Sam, but it would be nice for once to have something going in our favour – even if you had one of your vision thingies to narrow down the search. I mean the bodies were found what, in about a two mile radius – that's a lot of looking…and… let's not forget the other reason this trail was in the news was because of the mudslide. I can't wait to see that."

"Yeah Dean, I've heard that a mud bath is great for the complexion – yours could do with a little help."

"Oh Sammy you're killing me, I'm laughing on the inside."

They trudged on in silence, both letting the rain and gloom dampen any motivation for further conversation.

Sam walked head down following a few paces behind Dean, the monotonous squelch of each step lulling him deep into thought. He watched as his brother strode purposefully along through the mud and rocks strewn along the trail. Nothing seemed to slow him down and it made Sam feel confident following his steps. Dean always seemed to do that to him, just by being Dean he gave Sam the strength to… well, to do just about anything.

"Woaw!" Sam blurted out as his foot slid out from under him and he sat down unceremoniously on his butt in the mud.

Dean spun around as soon as Sam made a noise, a look of concern flashed across his features as his eyes darted around for any threat.

Concern, much to Sam's disgust, turned quickly into a fit of uncontrolled laughter as Dean finally had to bend over to catch his breath. Eyes watering and a smirk still on his face, Dean fished in his pocket for a second and in one fluid motion had his mobile out and pointed at Sam. "Say cheese for the Winchester blooper album Sammy."

"Fuck off jerk" Sam groused as he struggled to his hands and knees and finally stood up.

As Sam tried to clean the muck off his hands and clothes, Dean walked up the trail a few more paces and pointed off to the right. "OK mud man, while you get yourself all pretty I'm gonna see if I can get up on those rocks and see what we're headed into."

Dean checked his watch, "We've been going for nearly 4 hours so I guess here's as good a place as any to check the map and have a break before we run into this thing." Dean slipped off his backpack and headed off, grinning at Sam's stubborn refusal to say anything.

Sam watched as Dean loped off, glaring daggers into the back of his brother's head. Sam had managed to wipe some of the chunks of mud off but his jeans were pretty much a lost cause. His back felt jarred from the hard landing and to add insult to injury he was definitely going to have one bruised ass but there was no way he could let Dean find that out.

He found his water bottle and the notes he had scribbled before they had left, then gently eased himself down on the smoothest rock he could find. Sam glanced over to the pile of rocks and saw Dean clambering his way to the top. "Jerk" he muttered, the side of his mouth lifting in a grin he couldn't help.

Dean was cursing under his breath at the rain, the mud and the fact that the rocks were a lot higher and a lot less climber friendly than he had first thought. His hands were cut in several places from having to grip jagged edges of stone to get any purchase.

Finally he reached the top and found a flat surface to crawl onto and sat down quickly. There was no freaking way he was going to stand up. He couldn't tell from the side he had climbed but the pile of rocks actually marked the edge of a somewhat steep gorge and he could hear and see glimpses of white water below.

Damn, this was a little too high and exposed for his liking and did the rocks just move a little. God, he was getting paranoid.

Dean took a breath and focused on the trail they had been walking. He could see Sam, and could follow the path with his eyes for another 100 feet where it was lost in trees. He then caught another glimpse of the trail as it emerged on the downside of the bush, its bare mud standing out from the lush foliage. The path then sloped steeply down, cutting back towards the rock pile he was on and then, "Well that's just great".

The path ended abruptly where a slice of the hillside had disappeared, leaving behind what looked like clay, pockmarked with debris of various sizes. Tree roots and fallen trees together with rocks and boulders littered the red clay giving an almost alien landscape look. "Guess I found the mudslide" he muttered as he searched for a way to get down to the river.

Sam was studiously looking over the map working out the most likely places they would locate the water devil. He was certain of what they were hunting, the deaths fit the creature's MO. Bites and gashes where the creature had fed whilst keeping its victims alive and the deep purple colouring on the wounds from whatever poison this thing used on its victims.

Water devils initially weakened or paralysed their prey by injecting toxin from their claws or teeth. By the time the effects of the toxin wore off, the victims were further weakened by blood loss and pain. The creatures drained blood directly from the wounds, inflicting as much pain as possible to increase the adrenaline in the blood supply. The victims were normally kept alive for several days but their bodies were normally discovered near where they had been taken.

His Dad's notes were sketchy, mainly referencing information he had gleaned from other sources, other hunters. He had also come across some information on the web that made these creatures out to be pretty sick little bastards, preferring to have their victims not only alive but conscious whilst they fed. Sam shuddered, grimacing at the thought. The few phrases at the end of the page indicated they were not pack animals, preferring to hunt alone but when they did mate it was for life. There was also some kind of blood link between them that helped them communicate.

All the material he had read did have one thing in common, fire seemed to be the approved method to kill this bastard but there was something not quite right.

Something Sam couldn't quite put his finger on apart from the fact that none of the victims lived to tell the tale. The victims ranged in age both male and female, usually out hiking or camping near a water source but it seemed odd that none had escaped. The water devil was part demon but still corporeal not infallible.

He had gone over these notes in the motel room last night until his vision was swimming but he couldn't shake this nagging doubt about the hunt. He had even called Bobby, to check if he had come across one in his travels but Bobby wasn't that familiar with the creatures and had no new information to offer.

All the accounts were sketchy and summarized and none included actual details of the devil itself or any other characteristics apart from kill with fire. He knew they had taken on hunts with far less information but Sam kept reading, absently chewing the end of one finger as he finally started to realise what was wrong.

Sam shook his head and glanced up when he heard the approaching squelches. He prepared himself for the worst when he saw the look on Dean's face. As his brother approached, he also noticed the muddy and disheveled clothing and a glimpse of red through a tear in the knee of Dean's jeans.

"What happ…" Sam began

"I slipped."

"Okaay."

"We're gonna have one bitch of a walk ahead of us Sam" Dean shook his head. "It's not that far to the river but guess what I found on the other side of the rocks."

"So I'm thinking you found the mudslide but there's gotta be a way around it."

"Well Sam there is, if you want to either jump straight off that pile of rocks and pray you land in deep water oh and of course hope that the water devil is otherwise occupied. Then there is option number two where you can negotiate the untamed forest and if you don't get bitten by snakes or whatever else is lurking in there just keep your eyes open cause I think the sheer cliff is in there somewhere.

"Hmmm…" Sam paused. "You forgot option number three."

"And what exactly would that be college boy?"

Sam chose to ignore the sarcasm. "Well we could try and go down the slide itself. I mean, if it looks stable enough we might be able to follow the edge down. I saw a show on the discovery channel about mudslides and avalanches and once they're settled, it's actually pretty safe to…" Sam paused when he noticed the look he was getting from Dean. "Well what's the worst that could happen, we get a little muddy…muddier."

Dean turned to look at Sam with wide eyes and opened his mouth but then sighed and paused to consider the suggestion. "I s'pose we should check it out. Just cause no one can get through on this trail doesn't mean the little bitch won't just go further along the river to find the next victim. If it hasn't already packed its' bags and moved."

Sam stood and handed the water bottle to his brother "Have a break before we get going, let me see your knee."

"No Sam it's just a scrape and I'd prefer to get going and get this over with before it gets dark". Dean took a swig from the bottle and handed it back to Sam. "Look if we can get down the mudslide we should be at the river in an hour, maybe two. That'll still give us some daylight to finish this. We set up camp for the night and trek back first thing in the morning."

"I wish." Sam mumbled as he thought back to how often Dean's simple get in, kill the thing and get out plan worked. He was also going to have to tell Dean about the other possible problem he had just worked out.

"What?" Dean stopped and faced his brother.

"Well, we might be able to get down to the river Dean but I don't know how long it's gonna take to find the water devil. And when we do find it well, I mean..."

"What?" Dean repeated throwing his hands out wide.

"Well the thing is, all the info I found, including Dad's notes said that fire would destroy it."

"Yes Sam, which is why I'm carrying several rather heavy items of fire capability." Dean pointed to his large backpack sitting on the rock near their feet. It was stretched to almost breaking point which is why Sam carried most of their other supplies.

"Well we either need to get it out of the water or incapacitate it to get close enough with the blowtorch. And…" Sam hedged looking nervous.

"What?" Dean almost screamed. "Sam for Gods sake will you just spit it out."

"There's no first hand account that I could find of anyone actually killing one. Every bit of information says fire will do the trick but there's nothing that proves this theory had been tested."

"Oh" Dean mulled this over. "Don't you think this would have been a good thing to mention, oh I don't know, maybe _before_ we left?"

"I know Dean and I'm sorry but it wasn't that obvious. I mean it just hit me when I was reading over my notes that everything is written in third tense. Like when an outcome is theoretically correct, but not yet scientifically proven in the field."

"Come again?"

"Like the conceptual argument is a valid one with a pretty sound basis but at this point it may still be a hypothetical conclusion."

"Huh?"

"I don't know if anyone has actually killed a water demon with fire Dean." Sam looked down shaking his head. How could he have missed this detail, how could he have overlooked something that might cost them their lives? How could he have been so stupid?

Dean took a breath and glanced over at his brother. Sam looked distraught, chewing his bottom lip as though he were about to cry. God no, that's not gonna happen!

"Sam get a grip we're not dead yet. You don't know if anyone has used fire but you also don't know if they haven't. I mean what if that's just the way they wrote it, y'know to sound really scientific or something."

Dean could see Sam thinking about this, good, a bit more distraction and he could avert a chick flick moment altogether. Dean continued, "Sam, you can't think of everything man and besides, I'd rather know this now before we meet this soggy badass, at least we can come up with some options." Dean's brain scrambled to think of at least one other option in case Sam asked but his mind drew a blank.

Dean sighed in relief when Sam nodded.

"Yeah, I guess we can use the blowtorch or even a couple of iron rounds to slow it down. Hell, I mean it is corporeal, so even some kind of trap might work until we figure it out."

Dean smiled and began loading his backpack and sleeping bag as he saw Sam go into plan formulation mode.

"Hey Dean, I'm sorry I let you down on this man. You got any ideas for a Plan B?"

"I'm working on it Sammy." Son of a bitch!

**TBC…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

**Chapter 2**

The brothers set a quick pace and soon reached the end of the trail and the beginning of the mudslide.

"Man, it's just gone." Sam shook his head. "If we can get down a few more feet we can follow the debris along this side. I mean the rocks and stuff look sturdy enough to use as a brace."

"Yeah Sam, if we can get to that tree we could cross over the slide and get through the bush to the river. The only thing we don't know is how thick the mud is...and I guess we ain't gonna find out 'till we get a little dirty." Dean smirked and looked at his brother. "We'll use the ropes and tie ourselves off, they should be long enough to get us most of the way down, and we're probably gonna need 'em to get back up."

Sam began organising what they needed, thankful they had packed sturdy ropes and clips. Dean looked around for a secure place to tie off the ropes and spotted a thick tree stump several feet high. The actual tree part was long gone but the extensive root system had obviously ensured the remaining stump wasn't going anywhere soon.

Dean took the rope ends over to the stump and knelt down to tie the ropes low so they had no chance of slipping off. "Damn" he exclaimed as the cut on his knee felt like it ripped a little further. He quickly glanced over to Sam who was still busy re-organising their packs and checking the clips. Thank God he hadn't heard 'cause there was no way he was going to have Sam fuss over a scraped knee of all things.

Dean covertly checked the rip in his jeans and noticed the blood still trickling down his leg. The blood that had actually ran down the lower part of his leg making the sock below turn a watery shade of red. Hmm maybe more than a scrape but he just wanted to get going, get this job over with and…what? Get onto the next job?

Dean's thoughts wandered as his hands automatically tied the ropes, just like Dad had taught him. God he missed him. It was like a void, an empty space he carried within that would always remain empty. He was missing a piece of who he was and he would never be the same again. All he could do to survive was to keep looking out for Sam and keep getting the job done. Fight the good fight, be the good soldier. It hurt to think about it, it hurt to feel, it just hurt.

"You wanna hand there grandma?" Sam called over.

"No Samantha, I think we need more than a pretty bow unless you feel like sliding all the way to the bottom." Dean was grateful for the diversion, God he had to stop this emo crap, that was Sam's thing. He hid a grimace as he rose to stand and walked backwards towards Sam with the ropes in his hands leaning all his weight against the knots to test their strength.

"OK Sam ladies first." Dean gestured with a flourish of his hand.

"Fine but if you slip, don't expect me to break your fall." Sam laughed as he secured his rope with one hand above and one below his body.

"Dude if I slip, I'm taking you with me – why should I have all the fun." Dean centred his backpack before following Sam down the slope.

Sam found the mud ranged from about ankle to knee deep but there was no way to tell until his foot hit something solid each step. He kept to the edge as much as he could, moving around the broken branches, rocks and tree roots sticking up through the mud. The mud itself was a reddish brown type of clay which made the going slow. He was also glad his shoes were tied up tight 'cause he had to wrestle his foot out with a suctioning sound each step.

Sam smiled to himself "Hey Dean, you got any ideas for a Plan B together yet 'cause we're nearly at the end of our rope."

Dean suddenly groaned loudly and bent over "Sammy I'm not gonna make it." he gasped.

"Dean, Dean what's wrong? Stay there I'll come back." Sam braced himself to climb back up to his brother when he saw the look on Dean's face.

"If you're gonna make any more really lame puns, please just kill me now!" Dean deadpanned as he stood back up shaking his head.

"Dude you are so like the boy who cried wolf, you are gonna be so sorry when you're screaming for help and I'm not gonna believe you." Sam huffed. How could he have fallen so easily for one of Dean's predictable ploys. Man he must really be off his game.

A few minutes later, Sam reached one end of the massive tree, it was still intact and lying at an angle across the middle of the mudslide. They would have to cross about 10 feet to reach the first branches and it looked about the same distance on the other side from the tree roots to the relative safety of solid ground.

Sam paused while Dean caught up and they both stood and looked at the ground between themselves and the tree.

"OK Sam, get the other rope out and we'll tie it off between us. We may need it if one of us gets stuck. I'll go first but don't get too close in case it gets deep real quick."

"Dean I really think I should take point, I mean well, I am a bit taller and if it is deep…"

"Sam, you're not that much taller than me and besides I said I was going first. End of discussion."

"Ok Dean no need to get all sensitive, I mean being vertically challenged is nothing to be ashamed of, ouch hey!" Sam rubbed his arm where Dean had just punched it.

Dean stepped out cautiously, on the third step he sank to his knees. Oh great, can you swim in mud or does that make you sink faster or is that just quicksand. Oh hell here goes. Dean moved one leg forward and again found his footing in knee level deep mud. He was a few feet short of the first branch when his foot sank. Dean's arm flailed in the air trying to regain balance but he inadvertently stepped forward with the other foot and found himself standing nearly waist deep in mud. "Son of a bitch."

As he sought to balance himself in the ooze his leg pressed against something large and solid under the mud.

"What's wrong?" Sam called when he noticed Dean reaching one hand down into the mud.

"There's something under here."

"Be careful Dean, you don't want to get caught on something."

"Argghh. Well I found our last missing hiker. He must have just got caught in the mudslide I guess - wrong place wrong time." With a grunt, Dean hoisted a body out of the mud with some difficulty. He managed to half pull the body out so that it rested on the trunk of the tree.

Dean looked at the mud covered body, the poor guy looked pretty much worse for wear – well he was dead. They'd have to leave him there for the moment and alert the authorities when they got out.

Another 20 minutes and Dean made it to the end of the tree, having twice sunk to his armpits and only once gotten snagged on a submerged branch which was easy enough to break off.

"OK Sammy, rest time is over." Dean braced himself with a wide stance in the knee deep mud with one hand resting on the tree trunk.

Sam stepped off into the ooze, moving a little quicker as Dean had already blazed the trail. He was coming up to the hiker's body when his foot rolled on a rock and he fell backwards. He felt himself falling in slow motion but couldn't stop his momentum. Oh shit not again.

Sam was surprised at how quickly he went under but then realized the backpack weighed him down. He felt the pack hit the bottom and panicked for a moment when he couldn't move. He felt the thick mud surrounding his face and fought every urge not to open his eyes or breathe. He managed to roll to the side and get on his knees then planted one foot down to push himself up. He felt the tug of the rope around his waist which gave him enough leverage to stand and finally he broke the surface.

Sam felt his lungs burning and took a deep breath, coughing and spluttering as he also swallowed a good mouthful of the mud still clinging to his face. He couldn't stop gasping for breath but each lungful of air was still choking him with mud. He heard Dean calling his name, saying something else but it took all he had not to fall back down from the breathe, cough, choke cycle he couldn't stop.

He suddenly felt Dean's hand around his arm, steadying him, dispersing the panic enough for him to slow his breathing a little. He felt Dean's hand wipe at his face and then something wiped across his eyes.

"It's OK Sam, slow breaths man – let me wipe the muck off a bit more so you can open your eyes." Sam felt rough cloth wipe over his face again and he cautiously squinted one eye then the other open. Dean was looking at him with wide eyes, a look of worry plastered across his face. "Christ Sam I'm sorry I couldn't get here any quicker, are you OK can you make it across?"

Sam nodded his head as he resisted the urge to throw up when he wondered what else he had swallowed along with the mud. He took a slow deep breath "Yeah Dean, thanks man." Sam straightened and prepared himself to finish the crossing when his eyes landed on the somewhat bloated corpse lying across the tree trunk several feet ahead. Sam turned back the way they had come and proceeded to throw up. He could feel Deans hand on his shoulder, glad and somewhat amazed at how much comfort it gave him.

"You good to go now Sammy, I think we'd better make a move."

"Yeah I'm fine." Sam replied. He followed Dean's lead both moving cautiously as they came level with the body. "Dean wait, look at these marks on the guy's arms."

"What, you're not gonna chuck again are you?"

"No but look at them, they're claw marks." Some of the mud had slid off the hiker's body after Dean had propped him over the tree.

Dean used his hand to wipe along one arm clearing more mud from one of the deep gashes.

"Dean that purple colouring isn't from the mud."

"And you know what's worse?" Dean paused. "We're still about what, 50 feet above the river and this guy must have been higher still before he slip slided away. Either this guy escaped and made a run for it or our little monster is traveling further from the river than it's supposed to."

Another 20 minutes and the brothers made it to the other side both covered in muck and both exhausted. They both shed their backpacks and sat for a moment, Sam retrieving water bottles from the thankfully dry interior of the waterproof pack.

Dean had a drink and then began searching through his pack, laying items on the ground beside him. Knives, OK knives are good, blowtorch better, guns hmmm maybe, holy water…why the hell not.

"Take your pick Sam I've got Plans B, C and D laid out in front of you. Both guns are loaded with consecrated iron rounds I think that'll work better than salt shots." Dean strapped his trusty hunting knife on a holster around his thigh then tucked the remaining handgun in the back waistband of his jeans for good measure.

Sam strapped the knife around his lower leg and went to place the gun into his jacket pocket but came away with a hand full of mud. He slipped the gun under his waistband instead. "Dude, you could just admit you don't know which ones gonna work but I think I like option C." Sam said picking up the blowtorch.

"Sam, I don't suppose you packed anything edible 'cause I think my stomach's making enough noise to scare off any corporeal critters in the vicinity."

Sam dug around in his open pack and pulled out several zip lock plastic bags. He checked the contents and held each one up to Dean. "Apples, raisons, peanuts, and I've got a couple of muesli bars and beef jerky strips."

"Dude c'mon I said edible. I'd getter a better taste sensation from a mouthful of mud."

"Fine Dean but I wouldn't recommend it especially since dead hiker guy has been swimming in it. But seeing as I know what a fussy eater you are how about these?" Sam held up a bag of peanut M&M's.

Dean grinned his "ten year old kids best Christmas present ever grin" and held out his hand. "My hero Sammy."

The boys ate and discussed a plan of attack checking and re-checking their arsenal more out of habit and a sense of comfort than anything. They repacked and loaded their packs then moved out down the slope heading for the river.

Dean felt his cut knee sting and pull as once again it seemed like the skin had re-opened. Damn it was more of an annoyance than anything but still not worth stopping for or bringing on any Sammy lecture about looking after himself. Thankfully the mud was doing a good job of hiding the damage.

As the brothers trudged down the incline, heading closer to the water a small trail of bubbles rose from the mud not two feet away from where they had sat. Small pointed ears followed by glowing red eyes appeared slowly out of the mud. The long snout twitched and snuffled the air revealing small pointed teeth.

The creature slinked out of the mud, sliding low on its belly, legs tucked close to its body. It purposefully made its way over to the rocks where Dean had laid out their weapons and began licking the small drops of blood off the stone. It stood on its hind legs, nose twitching as mud slid of its slick rat like coat. Humanlike hands with elongated fingers and inch long claws wiped the ooze almost gracefully from its face as its mouth split in a grin.

**TBC…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

**Chapter 3**

"OK Sam, I'll go along the edge of the water and up the bank. You check along the higher ridge, it looks like there could be some shelter up there in the rocks. What exactly are we looking for?" Dean asked, his eyes glancing suspiciously along the surface of the river as he finished splashing some of the mud from his hands and face.

"Well it could be some kind of cave feature or hollowed out ground. It should be near the water but not in it. Apparently these things like damp and dark."

"Hmm, damp and dark just great. Keep you eyes open Sam, we've got maybe two hours of daylight left so let's make it count. We're not gonna get outta here tonight but I'll sleep a hell of a lot better knowing this sucker's been wasted."

"You and me both." Sam replied as he headed up the slope.

The brothers worked their way along the river, guns drawn, both in hunter mode. Each glancing every now and then toward the other as they silently walked parallel.

Sam spotted a crevice in the rocks nestled behind bushes that was about 4 feet wide. It was sheltered from above by a rock overhang and was only visible from where he stood. He held his hand up and checked that Dean had seen his signal. Dean replied with a nod and stood still, gun gripped in both hands watching Sam's back.

This was the third crevice that Sam had come across, the others showing no sign of use. As Sam bent to look closer, gun in one hand flashlight in the other, he noticed small tufts of black stringy fur caught on the lower branches of the small bush closest to the entrance. He clicked the flashlight on and pointed it into the opening.

As Sam crouched low, intent on illuminating the back recesses of the crevice, he saw a flash of movement black on black at the same time he saw the red eyes and heard the almost catlike hiss and savage growl of the creature he had trapped.

As he realized he blocked the only exit, he reacted swiftly, lunging to the side and firing his gun as the creature leaped at his face. He rolled once, swearing under his breath as his shoulder came into hard contact with a rock, his gun held ready to fire again. He let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding when he saw the animal lying dead a few feet away.

"Aw shit." Dean was gonna give him hell over this.

"Sammy, Sam are you OK?"

He could hear Dean running up the incline to check on him. Great, there was no way he could hide the evidence, say the thing got away. No, he was just going to have to cop the crap.

"Sam are you…" Dean paused, the grin spreading slowly and wickedly across his face.

Here we go.

"Sam, are you gonna make us some raccoon pie for dinner? Man, I never knew you cared. Seriously dude, I am going to sleep better now I know this savage little beast is not running amuck in the forest. God if we had left this job and the little bastard had nested in someone's roof, there would have been dire consequences. It would be…"

"Yes Dean, I get the picture. I stuffed up and you are not going to let me forget it. I know I am now destined for at least another 6 months of raccoon ridicule but can we just focus for the moment on the water devil that is still out there possibly watching us right now."

"Well at least you've probably scared the crap out of it now, bet it's glad it's not a cuddly little raccoon."

Sam glared daggers at Dean, his mouth set in straight line.

Dean held up his hands in surrender. "Fine Sam, I'm focusing. I'll just go focus down here in case I look a little too cute and raccoony, I'd like to keep my head attached to the rest of my cute body." Dean strode off, whilst Sam stood and composed himself, retrieving his flashlight and stretching his bruised shoulder.

"Yeah Dean, by the way I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"Good to hear Sam." Dean called back.

Sam finished brushing himself off, automatically changing back into hunter mode as Dean returned to the waters edge.

Whilst Dean knew he was going to get good value out of the raccoon jokes, he had breathed a sigh of relief when he knew Sam was OK. He was getting a bad vibe for some reason, hell when was the last time he had got a good vibe when on a hunt. They were cold, wet and covered in mud and his knee was now beginning to ache.

He had slipped his pack off before rushing up to check on Sam and he bent down to grab the strap and froze. He heard the slightest noise above the constant gush of the water, maybe stone on stone. He stopped, his eyes carefully taking in his surroundings.

Sam saw Dean hold his arm up and stopped, looking around for the cause of Dean's concern. As he scanned the water, he was suddenly startled by the sound of falling rocks above him and swung around. A small area of mud and rocks had slipped on the slope above him and several smaller rocks and bits of bark made their way down to Sam's level.

When Sam realised there was no further danger, he turned to signal the all clear to Dean. Sam stood frozen to the spot, his brain not quite believing what his eyes were seeing. Dean's backpack was still sitting on top of a rock above the river bank but Dean was nowhere to be seen.

Sam took a deep breath, he was not going to fall prey to another one of Dean's "gotcha" moments which is what this had to be. Man he was going to kill his brother seriously this time, it was messing with his head.

Dean should not be stuffing around in the middle of a hunt, Sam paused. Dean would never do this in the middle of a hunt, maybe before and after but Dean knew as well as he did that the actual hunt part could be life or death. More often than not their own.

"Dean?" Sam yelled as he headed down the embankment towards the water. He moved quickly but cautiously, searching the bank and then the water. The river surface appeared calm in front of him, making the strength of the current difficult to gauge. Sam could see white water further downstream where rocks and debris partially blocked the flow.

"Dean?" Sam was frantic now, there was nothing. No sign of struggle, no disturbance of the water, nothing at all to point Sam in any direction that might lead him to Dean. God, it must have gotten Dean by surprise when his brother was distracted by the rockslide near Sam. Dean would have dropped his guard, worried more about Sam's safety than his own.

Sam took another breath trying to calm himself. OK, he had to find the water devil's lair – it must have an entrance nearby for it to have taken his brother so brazenly. These things were supposed to be vicious but not stupid. Sam tried to stop himself thinking anymore about what it could be doing to Dean, how badly Dean was hurt or worse.

Gun gripped tightly in his hand, mouth drawn in a grim line of determination, Sam continued the search.

**TBC…**


	4. Chapter 4

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

_a/n: Cool reviews. Thanks to __quesse.beryl__ – I missed the holster thing, too busy checking grammar!_

**Chapter 4**

Dean heard the rockslide above Sam and turned away from the water. Before Dean even opened his mouth to shout a warning, he felt something wrap around his ankles and with a sharp pull found himself fully submerged in the icy water. The coldness took his breath away but he retained enough composure not to gasp in a mouthful of water even though every part of his body seemed to want him to do just that.

He realised he was being pulled underwater, feet first with his back and head painfully banging against the riverbed. He knew it had only been seconds but his lungs were beginning to burn from lack of air.

He felt his right shoulder strike a rock which then glanced off the side of his head before he could react. The contact left him feeling dazed and panicked as he fought for breath and felt water entering his mouth.

As Dean coughed more water into his lungs, his arms flailing to grab onto something, he wildly thought that drowning was not his preferred method of dying. He suddenly realised he could hear himself coughing, choking, rasping. He was ice cold and lying on his back but he was no longer underwater.

Relief soon turned to dread as his brain began functioning on a level other than basic survival. He tried to sit up, still coughing up water, and felt his world tilt at the same time he registered he was not alone. Dean heard rather than saw the water devil come at him, the savage growl moving toward him too fast.

As his mind thought gun and knife, his body knew he would not be quick enough even if he did somehow still have them. His arms went up instinctively to shield his face and body as he fisted his hands in an attempt to get at least one good punch at the thing. Before he could even register the pain, he felt claws rake down his arms and in a second swipe, across his face.

As he saw the glowing red eyes blink far too close to his face, the pain began and grew until it blocked out everything else.

After only several minutes respite, Dean slowly became aware of pain, burning and aching in his arms and sharp and intense in his head. He listened to the raspy noise for several seconds before he realised he was making the sound as he breathed. He felt a weight pressing on his chest and he managed to open his eyes a crack wishing instantly that he had remained blissfully unaware.

As soon as he was conscious, he heard the low snarl in his ear and felt the skin below his shoulder being ripped open mercilessly by sharp teeth. Black spots invaded his vision as he teetered on the edge but the creature paused until Dean's eyes fluttered open. Again the demon creature sank it's teeth into Dean's shoulder knowing it's prey was helpless to move, helpless to do anything but lie there and feel the pain. The creature flattened its ears against its head, the only indication it heard Dean's anguished screams.

The creature was crouched on him, its nails digging into his chest and side as it sought purchase. Its' tongue and teeth greedily lapping at the wound that he now had in his shoulder. Dean tried to move but only succeeded in flexing his fingers, he moaned in pain and frustration, eliciting a low growl from the water devil.

Without warning its water sodden tail suddenly stood on end, the snow white hairs at the tip almost glowing in the dim light of the cave as it froze with its head in the air. The creature suddenly omitted a high pitch wail that Dean felt in his head. The sound intensified briefly as there seemed to be two frequencies that threatened to explode his skull. He gasped and arched his back, eyes rolling back in his head and then suddenly the noise was gone even though Dean could still feel his head ringing.

Dean was again on the verge of unconciousness, when the weight was suddenly gone. It took him a moment to realise what that meant and then another few precious seconds to summon the strength to open his eyes again. He could discern that he was alone in a small muddy area, dim light filtering through from somewhere behind him.

He knew he should try and move but his body was not co-operating. Flexing his fingers caused pain to shoot along his arms but at least he found that he could now lift his arms a little off the ground.

There was no way he would be able to outrun the thing so he would just have to kill it. Sam, God Sam was probably out of his mind with worry looking for him. Another thought struck him as he realised the devil had obviously left suddenly for a reason. If that meant it was after Sam he would damn well have to suck it up and move now.

Dean knew the poison in his body was making movement difficult - it seemed to send fire along his nerve endings. He also vaguely remembered hitting his head, which would account for the vertigo and double vision. He slowly propped himself up on one elbow, not even registering the increase in his raspy breathing as he sought to ignore the pain. Dean knew his gun was gone but he slowly slid his hand down to the strap on his thigh and felt a surge of hope when his hand felt the smooth handle of his trusty knife.

Clutching his knife in a death grip, Dean couldn't help the cry of pain that escaped his lips as he rolled slightly forward to place one hand on the ground and then drew his knees under him. Sharp pain stabbed through the wound in his shoulder and he felt the warm trickle of blood on his cold body from his chest and shoulder but knew it would have to wait.

He crawled towards the light, one arm drawn against his body to restrict movement on his damaged side. He slowly followed the small tunnel that he was hoping led out of the creatures nest. The only other exit was half submerged in murky water and he had no desire to revisit that path. He had no idea of the time nor any thought to check his watch, his sole focus to get out and find Sam.

The muddy tunnel ended a few feet from the river, the sudden movement of the water and exit from the closeness of the tunnel giving Dean another bout of dizziness. The light was receding but it had stopped raining. Both these facts being lost on Dean as he steadied himself on one knee and then stood shakily.

He tried to get his bearings, tried to figure out if this was near where he was taken. He thought he saw part of the mudslide up the slope to his left so he headed in that direction to try and retrace his steps. Dean's slow progress was marked with a trail of blood that seeped down his arms, dripping from his fingertips and the knife that he still clutched.

He couldn't take another step. His body trembled with, not only the effort of straining to perform those basic functions such as breathing and standing, but also from the pain that threatened to blot out all conscious thought.

He took another step. And stopped. There were a few short seconds of calmness when everything seemed to blur and recede to a distant place. Then his body finally succumbed to the fact that it could not, should not, be physically able to continue. Even as his body fell in a boneless heap, even as his head hit the ground and his eyes rolled back, his mind screamed "Find Sammy."

**TBC…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

**Chapter 5**

Sam was on a kill and rescue mission. The grim look on his face and the fierceness in his eyes took away his boyish looks and replaced them with those of someone you wouldn't mess with, someone intent on getting what he wanted. A formidable foe.

He moved with purpose, balanced and confident, searching each crevice and mark along the muddy riverbank for a sign of his brother. He heard the water devil come out of the river, the drips of water off its body enough for Sam to go on instant alert a split second before he heard the snarl.

Sam dropped and rolled up the bank away from the water as the creature lunged at him, most of its body striking mud. The sonofabitch was fast though and adjusted its trajectory midair, enough for one of its claws to rip down Sam's lower leg as it overshot its intended victim.

Sam fired almost point blank at the thing, ignoring the pain that suddenly ignited in his leg. He fired again, two, three, four times as he twisted around following its movement until he was satisfied it wasn't getting up. Sam fell in the mud nearby, unable to move as the poison worked through his body. After several agonising attempts, he finally regained some control and got to his feet, trying to ignore the fire in his muscles.

He stood shakily over the body gun poised and breathing heavily, his nostrils flaring. The jet black tail flicked in the air and he heard a low growl. Shit, he fired again, and began frantically unstrapping his backpack with one hand. God what was he thinking, he had to kill it with fire, the bullets were only supposed to slow it down. He swapped the gun to his other hand and shrugged the remaining strap off his shoulder.

He dragged the backpack a few feet away fumbling at the zip as his eyes were fixed on the water devil for any sign of movement. Thank Christ he had put option C on the top within easy reach but he still need a lighter to ignite the portable blowtorch. Dean always had a lighter within easy reach. Sam would give anything right now to hear the familiar sound of Dean flicking the Zippo and sparking the flint.

Sam placed the blowtorch at his feet and leaned to the side as his hands sought to undo the clip and zip on the smaller pouch at the front of his pack. As his weight shifted he cried out as the full force of the venom in the cut on his leg made itself known. Sam fell unexpectedly to his side, the injured leg unable to support his weight.

The light was fading but he was still aware of the movement when the water devil stirred yet again. He tensed his body however he was still completely taken by surprise when its tail wrapped around his outstretched leg like the end of a whip.

Sam's cry of pain came out more like a guttural rasp as the pain took his breath away. He felt the tail tighten and then realised it was trying to drag him down the bank towards the water. Sam forced the pain away and demanded his brain to focus. He instinctively grabbed the blowtorch, reluctantly relinquishing his handgun to the muddy ground. Just as his hand slipped from the pack as he was pulled away, he fingers closed greedily around the small rectangular shape that glinted in the last shades of daylight.

Sam braced himself and flicked the button on the blowtorch then pressed the ignition switch as he simultaneously flicked the Zippo. Nothing. Shit. He flicked it again, the noise drawing creatures' attention as he felt his momentum stop. Shit, shit, shit. He saw the red eyes closing in, its tail uncoiled from around his calf muscle. He could feel his thumb blistering as he frantically struck the flint knowing he was running out of time.

Sam could suddenly feel every ache explode at once as the urgency of the situation almost overwhelmed him. God he had to get up and find Dean now, he had no idea how long he had fought the thing but he had to finish it soon.

It happened so fast, a final click then an explosion of heat and light as the blowtorch ignited. The creature was only several feet away and its snout and chest were suddenly engulfed in flame.

The water devil howled fiercely, its obscenely human paws scrabbling frantically at its snout only resulting in the flames spreading to its legs and underbelly. Sam suddenly realised that the animal was heading for the water. He did the only thing he could think to do and dropped the blowtorch to the side whilst his other hand desperately reached and grabbed the end of the slimy muscled tail.

Sam was not expecting the reaction he got once he captured the tail as the water devil gathered what strength remained and launched itself back at him. He saw the feral fireball come at him, too close for the blowtorch, so he raised his good leg and then kicked out hard. He felt the jarring impact but it was not enough to stop the creature from landing on his stomach and hip.

Sam was winded, his head slammed back into the ground so hard his teeth hurt as his jaw shut. He felt the heat starting to burn him and he struggled to move, panic beginning to grab a hold of him.

He thought he was dreaming, when he saw a shadow out of the corner of his eye. He felt an almost unbearable increase in pressure on his body then nothing. When he realised he could move, he turned his head to see Dean pulling his knife from the neck of the water devil. Sam rolled painfully to his side and weakly grasped the blowtorch in his hand. He heard the familiar chink as his brother lit his Zippo and held it out, Deans face appearing mottled and ghostlike in the flickering light.

Opting for overkill, Sam turned the blowtorch up high and knelt in the mud until he had reduced the vicious bastard to a pile of ashes. He only became aware that the hem of his jeans and side of his shirt were smoldering when the hot embers came into contact with his skin and he quickly rolled in the mud to douse the sparks. Sam groaned involuntarily as the gash on his leg protested the movement.

"Sammy, y'alright?" Dean slurred in a soft raspy voice.

"God Dean, I'm okay. I couldn't find you man, I'm sorry I didn't know where it took you. How bad are you hurt?"

"Dean? Dean?" Sam forgot his aches as he saw Dean sway in the darkness. He just managed to grab his brother enough to stop his fall and was able to lower him gently to the ground.

**TBC…**


	6. Chapter 6

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

**Chapter 6**

Sam slowly shuffled the few feet up the slope to retrieve their packs, his gun and torch and then slumped to the ground shaking beside his brother, his energy sapped as the adrenaline rush that had allowed him to function came to an abrupt end. Dean was out cold, his breathing laboured but he was breathing nonetheless.

Sam flicked the torch on and played it on Dean's face. Shit, there was dried blood caked from his hairline down to his shirt collar. The torchlight revealed Dean's jacket and shirt had been ripped along his arms and oh God there was a bloodied wound low on his shoulder, still glistening with fresh blood. He was going to have to get Dean somewhere warm and dry to clean and dress his injuries and soon. Sam could feel the icy dampness in the air from their proximity to the water and the fall of darkness. It was only going to get colder.

Sam stood slowly, groaning with the effort and the anticipation of pain. He wasn't disappointed, as his leg throbbed unmercifully as soon as he put weight on it. He shone the torch along the shoreline and up the embankment looking for somewhere to make camp for the night. He knew he couldn't move Dean too far, hell he could hardly move himself. He saw a flat piece of ground not too far up, away from the wet mud. It would have to do.

Sam gathered both their packs and limped up to the spot he had chosen. It wasn't too bad, there was enough room to stretch out and several larger rocks and bushes would provide them with some shelter. The remaining half an hour of daylight provided enough light to work as he unrolled one of the sleeping bags, unzipping it as well and placed it on the dead leaves and wild grass, trying to brush away the larger rocks and stones in the process.

Sam finally got his brother up to their camp for the night, hands under his armpits supporting Dean's head with his chest and dragging him slowly backwards with his feet scuffing along the ground. It was the only way Sam could carry him without risking his brother further injury.

This was bad, Dean hadn't even stirred since he had first collapsed. Man he would give anything for one smartass raccoon joke or even a complaint. He didn't know how long it took him but he finally managed to ease Dean's jacket off. Dean was gonna be so pissed, his jacket looked like it had been through a shredder. Sam inhaled sharply when he realised that Dean's arms and upper body looked like they had gone in right behind the jacket.

Dean's shirt came off next, the task made all the more difficult as it stuck to the numerous purple tainted gashes on his arms and chest. The wound, the gaping hole on Dean's shoulder had Sam most worried. It seemed deep and had ragged edges of torn skin marking its edge.

Sam held the older boys' shoulders gently and eased him forward checking his back. There were several smaller cuts and abrasions, the worst being the bruising that was already appearing along the back of one shoulder.

Once Dean was again lying prone, Sam used the other sleeping bag to cover his brothers' body and propped the ripped jacket under his head. He looked around the immediate area and saw what he needed. A flat piece of ground the furthest away from any underbrush with a medium sized rock at the back, perfect. He knew they needed to get warm and lighting a fire was the only way that was going to happen.

It took Sam longer than he expected to get the fire burning enough to ensure it wouldn't fizzle out. Everything was damp and cold but the blowtorch did the trick in the end. Sam had just found the first aid kit, which had somehow found its way to the bottom of the bag, when he heard the low moan.

"Dean, Dean can you hear me? C'mon Dean I need you to wake up man." Sam placed a hand on his brother's forehead which felt hot and clammy. Dean's body suddenly jerked, his damaged arms flailing weakly in an attempt to move away. Sam moved his hand, placing it gently on his brother's good shoulder trying to calm him.

"Dean, it's Sam. C'mon open your eyes dude you're starting to worry me."

Dean's eyes flickered wide open, wildly looking around as he began to breathe too fast. "Sam…Sammy where is it. I couldn't…didn't kill it."

"Dean it's OK, you got it man, you saved me again. You got hurt though so I've got to clean you up a bit. I'm gonna need your help Dean so you need to stay awake okay."

"'Kay Sammy." Another shiver shook his body, his half closed eyes squinting further shut in obvious pain.

Sam rummaged in the kit and found some painkillers, hoping it would take the edge off Dean's pain and fever, then opened a bottle of water. "Here Dean, can you swallow these?" he held two pills in his outstretched hand.

Dean managed to put the pills in his mouth but couldn't hold the bottle still to take a sip. Sam placed one hand at the end of the bottle to hold it steady enough for Dean to drink.

Sam cleaned the bite wound and the larger claw marks surrounding it as best he could, trying to ignore Dean's flinches and sharp intakes of breath, knowing he had to do this. He placed a large sterile wound dressing over the top and taped it securely. "Can you sit up if I help you Dean, I want to wrap it as well to make sure any bleeding stops."

"Think so." Dean mumbled as he held his hand out for Sam to grasp.

Sam slowly eased Dean into a sitting position, reading the agony in his brothers' face. He knew Dean was making every effort to conceal how much it hurt from Sam but his somewhat glazed eyes were traitors to his attempt. Sam began wrapping the bandage around Dean's chest several times and then over his shoulder as well. He was taping the end of the bandage down when Dean starting falling backwards without a sound. Sam quickly placed a hand behind Deans' head and controlled his descent.

"Sorry Sammy…didn't see that coming." Dean whispered.

"It's okay Dean you can stay there now but I've still gotta do your head and arms. I know it hurts and I'm sorry but they look bad man."

"Mmmm." was the only reply he received as Dean slowly turned his head to the side, resigned to his fate.

Sam continued to work, continually talking softly to Dean, hating the fact he was inflicting more pain on his brother who was not even complaining. Nearly finished, his own head nodding with exertion, the various gashes and scrapes to his brothers face and body finally cleaned, Sam was surprised when Dean spoke.

"Sam your leg's hurt, it's bleeding." Dean struggled to sit up, failing miserably, reaching an arm out to Sam's leg instead from where he lay.

"It's okay, just a scratch and I'll look at it in a minute alright."

"More than a scratch Sam, please…check it."

Sam noticed Dean was beginning to breathe too fast again. He stripped off his own over shirt and maneuvered it around behind his brother, gently pulling it up over the bandages on his arms. He took a deep shaky breath when he had finally pulled the sleeping bag up over Dean, tucking it under his chin. He still wanted to stoke the fire a little before he rested.

"Promise."

"What? Promise what Dean?"

"Promise…check your leg Sammy."

Sam couldn't help but shake his head and grin at his brother, lying collapsed on the ground with serious injuries, yet still trying to mother him.

Sam turned to face Dean but seeing the fear and worry on his older siblings face, he forgot the smartass retort that was poised on his lips. "I promise Dean okay, now try and get some sleep."

True to his word, once the fire was blazing again, Sam cleaned and dressed his own leg too tired to even think about the other various scrapes and gashes that adorned his body. The warmth from the fire seeped into his body and he drowsily crawled over to Dean and edged under the sleeping bag, placing his torch and gun within easy reach. God, he would give anything for even a sleazy, cheap, dirty motel room right about now.

The corner of his mouth tilted in a grin when he thought of the reaction he would get when Dean woke to find himself sharing a sleeping bag with his brother. Sam was asleep too fast to enjoy the joke for more than a few seconds.

**TBC…**


	7. Chapter 7

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

a/n: Reviews again are awesome, thanx muchly. (heather03nmg – settle dude I'm blushing).

**Chapter 7**

He was on fire, he was sure of it and panic swelled in his chest for a moment before he realised he was too tired, too hurt to really care. A spasm of shivers shook his body as he lay and felt the fire along his arms and chest increase with the violent movement. God he had to get to Sam, he had to get up and move.

"Sammy, Sammy!" why couldn't he hear his own voice? How was his brother going to hear him?

"Sam?" Dean tried to yell as he struggled to sit up, resulting in a fit of coughing so painful it made him whimper and gasp for breath.

Dean was suddenly aware of arms around him, was aware of a voice telling him something, Sam's voice. He opened his eyes and turned his head, trying to focus.

"Dean it's OK, I'm here, it's over. Just try and relax man, put your head back down."

Sam had been startled from his coma like sleep by Dean's movement and agonized voice. Sam still felt groggy from exhaustion and injury but soon snapped awake when he saw the fear in his older brothers' eyes.

"Dean, it's Sam, can you hear me?"

"Sammy, I don't…what happened? You hurt, is Dad OK?" he mumbled haltingly.

Sam's stomach knotted. "Dean." Christ, what was he going to say, I'm fine Dean but Dad's dead. Maybe Dean was just still out of it, probably concussed going by the nasty head wound Sam had patched up the night before. He would just ignore it for the moment, Dean was in no condition to relive that particular memory.

"I'm fine Dean, you killed the thing last night OK so it's over but you're hurt and you've got to try and stay awake for me. How bad is your chest hurting, 'cause it's still bleeding a bit and I'm gonna have to change the dressing."

"It's OK." Dean's body chose that moment to shudder and spasm, he felt hotcoldnotright and it took away his resolve. "Hurts." he whispered.

Sam froze for a second, he had not been expecting Dean to admit he was actually hurt. Shit, it was worse than he thought. He glanced at his brother, noticing Dean's eyes blinking slowly, threatening each time not to re-open. He placed his hand under Dean's chin and gently tilted his brothers' head up to check his eyes. He noticed that although the head wound had only seeped a little blood, there was a purple black bruise appearing down one side of Dean's forehead and face and a nasty scratch down the other cheek.

By the time Sam had administered another two painkillers, checked and changed dressings and finally pulled the sleeping bag back up, Dean had drifted into a restless sleep. Despite the probable concussion, he left his brother to rest and recuperate. He would wake him in an hour or two.

The magnitude of their situation hit him then as he began to try and work out a plan to get Dean out of there. Dean was hurt, not even fully coherent yet and Sam was worried that infection and fever would be the next symptoms. He knew, even if he was at full strength, there was no way he could get Dean up the mudslide they had traversed to get where they were. There was also no way in hell he was leaving Dean to get help.

He would just have to find another way. There was no other option.

**TBC…**


	8. Chapter 8

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

_**Chapter 8**_

Sam began unpacking their bags to check what supplies they had left. He didn't know how much he would be able to carry so he placed all the vital supplies, water bottles and food, the first aid kit and a few light weapons into his bag. The other stuff, mainly weaponry, he placed into Dean's bag. He would carry it as long as he could.

Sam stood and stretched, his injured leg throbbing in protest from the movement. The bleeding had stopped, well it hadn't seeped through the bandage yet and he didn't want to waste any of the clean dressings when he knew Dean needed them more.

He had kept the maps out and he eased himself down on the ground near his brother and began to look for an easier way out. Hell, just any way out would do. Several miles downstream there was a shelter marked adjacent to the river. Probably a fishing hut, it seemed to be along the edge of the marked trail but it was in the wrong direction away from the start of the trail and therefore away from the car. Option number one was not even an option.

Option number two, call for help could also be struck from the list. His cell phone was covered in mud and didn't seem to be getting any signal but that could also be because it was stuffed. Deans' cell was definitely a lost cause and showed no signs of life at all.

Sam looked around and up the incline they were now resting on. It wasn't a part of the trail so there was no path marked out but it didn't look like it was too rough and it was at least going in the right direction. He would have to get up to the top of the rise to check it out but at least it was an option, for the moment.

Sam edged over to his brother, noting the pain etched on Dean's face even as he slept. He would wake Dean enough to let him know the plan so he wouldn't panic if he woke up alone.

Sam gently placed a hand on Dean's shoulder "Dean, c'mon wake up." Dean's breathing quickened a little and then he gasped and his eyes shot open startling Sam and making him jerk backwards.

"It's okay Dean, it's okay, I just need you to wake up again for a minute. Just take it easy. Breathe slowly."

"Sam…I…what?" Dean shook his head trying to focus. "Where are we?"

"Dean, the water devil, remember? We killed it but you're hurt and I need to leave you here for a bit while I check out the top of this hill. We're gonna have to walk out of here somehow Dean."

"S'ok Sammy, I remember. Help me up, I need to get up." Dean began to push himself up with one arm, grimacing with the effort but showing no sign of giving up.

"Okay, okay just slow down alright. You've lost a lot of blood and you've probably got a concussion. Take it slow."

Dean felt the fire and pain course through his body as he moved. His head pounded and he closed his eyes as he recalled the events of the past day. Shivers wracked his body when the warmth of the sleeping bag escaped as he sat up and he couldn't suppress a low moan. He wondered how long he had been out, also noticing how haggard Sam looked. "Sammy are you hurt, you look like shit."

"Gee thanks Dean, you need to work on your bedside manner. Seriously though dude, compared to you at the moment, I reckon I'm looking pretty good." Sam smirked, relief washing over him to finally hear a smartass comment from Dean, even though he knew it was taking a toll on his brother.

"Always so modest Sam, good to…" Dean choked on his sentence as an uncontrollable cough overtook him. Pain lanced through his head, taking his breath away.

Sam grasped both Dean's shoulders gently as he tried to brace his brother until the coughs finally subsided. He was both surprised and alarmed when Dean lowered his forehead to rest on the top of Sam's shoulder for a moment, seemingly exhausted. Sam could feel Dean struggling to regain control, breathing slowly and deliberately until he finally raised his head.

"Ok Sam, let's pack it up and move it out. We're gonna have to blaze a trail as we go and the sooner we get started the sooner we get outta this godforsaken hole."

"I just don't know if this is the best way out Dean and I don't want you wasting your energy."

"Sam, you're hurt, I'm hurt we haven't got a hell of a lot of supplies and no one knows we're here. We haven't got a lot of choices here man. We've toughed it out before and I doubt this will be the last time either."

Dean slowly crawled off and out of the sleeping bags and began rolling them up and stuffing them in their cases. He worked slowly and deliberately, favouring his injured shoulder, aware of Sam's close scrutiny.

An hour later, the brothers had made it to the top of the ridge relatively intact. Sam took the backpacks off, retrieved the map from his jacket pocket and squinted between the crumpled paper and the distant treeline several times.

"Dude are you trying to look lost 'cause I'm starting to get a little worried over here. We need to go that way." Dean pointed ahead and slightly to the right.

Sam shook his head and grinned. Dean sense of direction constantly amazed him – he seemed to have an inbuilt compass. Thank God!

"I know Dean but I'm trying to find the path of least resistance. I don't think either of us is up for an extreme mountain adventure right about now."

"Speak for yourself Samantha." Dean raised his arm again, "If we follow this ridge along for about half a mile, it looks like the downward slope evens out a bit and we can get down there and then cross up the next hill through those trees. We should be pretty close to crossing the trail we came in on at some point over that next rise."

Sam referred back to the map and shook his head. "The only problem is that we're going to have to cross the river down there. The river doubles back on itself further upstream and we're not gonna know how deep it is until we get there."

"Shit happens Sam. Oh and for future reference, I'd like to book a single sleeping bag for tonight, if you needed a teddy bear you should have packed one!"

"Hey, you didn't exactly complain at the time and believe me, desperate times called for desperate measures. You smell."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

Dean slung a backpack over one shoulder before Sam could protest and slowly began trudging along the ridge, Sam limping closely behind. Even though he knew Dean was hurting and they had miles to go, Sam's faith in his brother never waivered and he knew they would make it out.

**TBC…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

**Chapter 9 **

Dean knew he was in trouble when his vision blurred and everything grayed out for a moment without warning. He had been trying to drown out the rasp of his own breathing by singing in his head. He had given up trying to mask the sound but was thankful Sam hadn't made a fuss about it…yet. His chest burned with every breath and the bite in his shoulder felt raw as a ringing pain suddenly blasted through his mind.

Dean felt like he had stepped off the edge of a cliff and his foot floated momentarily in midair. To Sam it appeared as though Dean had fallen asleep mid stride and he watched for a second as Dean's body crumpled soundlessly. Sam still reacted quickly enough to grab the front of Dean's shirt and lower him to the ground.

Christ, why hadn't he made Dean stop. He knew Dean was pushing himself and he had just let his brother walk himself into the ground – literally. He felt Dean's pulse noticing the heat that was coming off his skin in waves and the rattle in his chest every time he took a breath.

"Dean, Dean can you hear me? Please Dean I need you to wake up again." Sam pleaded.

Dean's eyelids fluttered and then opened halfway, his eyes too bright and unfocused. "God my head. Sammy, I'm sorry…need…" Dean swallowed and blinked slowly.

"What Dean, what do you need?"

"Sam you need to leave me and get out, I'll slow you down. Bring help back and…"

"No Dean, don't even bother. You need to understand right now that I am not leaving you here and the only way I am getting out is with you or not at all." Sam glared fiercely at his brother, daring him to argue. Sam put it down to pain and fatigue when Dean didn't argue the point, not feeling any guilt at all over taking advantage of his brothers' current state of vulnerability.

"We'll rest here for a bit and I need to check your dressings okay."

Sam looked through the first aid kit at their dwindling supplies. He still had a few clean wound dressings and some tape but he would have to make do with only a few clean bandages. The biggest problem was the number of painkillers left and he knew he would have to ration them so Dean wouldn't run out altogether. God knows how much pain his brother was already in 'cause Dean sure as hell wasn't gonna make that particular fact easy to find out.

Dean half sat half slumped against whatever it was that Sammy had leaned him against – he really didn't have the energy to care. He knew he was sick, burning and freezing at the same time was never a good sign. He tried to focus when Sammy came closer and started peeling away his shirt to get to the bite on his shoulder. He could hear Sam talking, trying to get his mind off the pain and the fact that peeling the dressing and dried blood away made it hurt more.

God, Sammy looked so tired and worried and muddy. He shouldn't be causing his little brother to hurt so much. He was supposed to protect him from everything but Christ how was he supposed to do that when everything hurt so much. Dad, where was dad when he really needed him to take charge, to take over, to just be there.

Deans' feverish thoughts spiraled out of control and then snapped sharply back into focus. Dad's dead Dean, there is only you left to pick up the pieces and look after Sammy. Get a grip, suck it up and get on with it.

He felt a gentle hand under his chin, lifting his head up and then saw Sam's face up close "Dean, can you hear me, I need you to take this painkiller. I can only give you one right now but I need you to tell me if it gets too bad okay?"

"Space dude, personal space." Dean held his hand out for the pill not noticing how much his own hand trembled.

Dean grinned as he attempted to take a swig from the bottle Sam had given him, a trickle of water dripping down the side of his face. "My brother the human mud cake" he chuckled before the rattle in his chest took his breath away.

"Well at least I'm not needing a bib right now Dean." Sam attempted to keep Dean in the moment as he wiped the side of his brother's face. He knew he had lost Dean to the pain again when he made no attempt to move away from his hand. He was even more surprised when Dean placed his hand on Sam's arm.

"I wish Dad was here Sammy. I know he's gone but I really wish he was here."

Dean sounded so young and so very lost. It must be the fever and the pain 'cause Dean couldn't be lost and…and broken. He would have noticed before if something was wrong with Dean, if he had needed help, needed saving before this.

"I know Dean, I wish he was here too but we're going to get out of this. Dad wouldn't want us to give up, to stop trying. I'll get us out of here Dean, I promise."

"He stopped trying, he gave up. He made a deal with the devil Sam and that makes the deal poisoned. No good will ever come from it."

Sam could tell this conversation was an effort for his brother but it was obviously something Dean couldn't keep bottled up any longer. His walls had crumbled enough for some of this dark emotion to seep out. Sam knew it for what it was – self loathing. Dean was still convinced that their father had sacrificed himself for someone not worthy of that sacrifice.

"Dean, listen to me. As far as I'm concerned, Dad would only do something like that to do good, to make amends. You trusted him your whole life, you need to trust him now. You need to believe in yourself."

"Damn emo crap." Dean whispered as his eyes slid shut again. "Need to rest for a sec Sam."

"Okay Dean." Sam made his brother as comfortable as he could and sat down again with a sigh. Sam rubbed absently at his injured leg, wondering when it had started to throb so badly. He would just close his eyes for a moment and have a rest as well – it couldn't hurt.

**TBC…**


	10. Chapter 10

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

**Chapter 10 **

Dean opened his eyes and stared up at the grey sky. It swam a little in and out of focus before it retained a steady clarity. Dean's thoughts pretty much fell into gear around the same time questioning why he was looking at the sky and feeling like crap and then in a rush, remembering what had happened to them over the past day.

"Sam, I guess rest time's over." Dean groaned as he lifted his head and shoulders and made it to an almost sitting position.

"Sammy? Oh shit!" Dean turned his head enough to see Sam lying on his side not two feet away. The most alarming fact was the amount of blood that seemed to have soaked one leg of Sam's jeans down to his ankle.

Dean dragged himself along the ground to his brother, feeling Sam's neck and finding a steady pulse. Sam stirred as Dean rolled him onto his back to examine the leg wound. "Dean, what, what?"

"Lie still Sam, you're bleeding like a stuck pig man. Where's the first aid kit?"

"No Dean, you're the one hurt what are you doing?"

"Sammy your leg dude, you haven't even bandaged it properly. Where's the first aid kit?"

"Dean we haven't got enough, just leave it." Sam used one arm to prop himself up and placed the other hand around Dean's arm effectively stopping his brother in his tracks.

"Fine Sam, if you're not gonna tell me I'll assume you stuffed it in the top of your backpack." Dean was trembling on one hand and knees, a fine sweat covering most of his face but there was no way he was giving in to his body's failure to assist him when Sam needed help. Whether Sam wanted it or not.

Dean pointedly removed his arm from Sam's hand and in a serious of slow yet deliberate moves found himself standing, well stooping in an upright position. He shuffled over to Sam's backpack and removed the first aid kit, exactly from where he had thought it would be. "So predictable Sammy." he slurred softly.

"Dean I'm right here, talking quietly is not gonna make much difference." Sam finally took a good look at his leg, Christ what a mess. He had lost more blood than he realised and it hurt like hell.

Sam endured the fuss and reprimands about not looking after himself as Dean managed to clean the deep gash and numerous scratches on his brothers' lower leg. Whilst Sam knew Dean was in far worse shape, he knew it would be quicker and a hell of a lot easier to just let Dean patch him up. However, he could see Dean's hands begin to tremble more and more as he wrapped the last layers of the bandage.

"Let me finish Dean, I've only got to tie it off now okay." Sam gently took the end of the bandage out of his brother's hand.

"Mmm okay. Just make sure it doesn't come undone again Sam 'cause you can't lose any more blood." It was more of a request than anything.

"Of course Doctor Winchester whatever you say." Sam griped as he wound the bandage tight. He knew Dean was right but he was also making himself a mental note not to fall asleep again like that and give Dean the chance to play mother hen.

The brothers, a little more rested shared a water bottle, rechecked their bearings and by way of silent agreement stood slowly in unison and headed off.

To anyone watching they looked beaten and exhausted. To the thing that stalked them silently and had done for quite some time, they looked like easy prey. It knew however from watching its mate die, that these creatures were far more dangerous than they looked and that made it very wary. It would keep them in its sight until it was ready, until the blood bond was stronger. Until it was too hungry to wait.

**TBC…**


	11. Chapter 11

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

_a/n: Thanx again for taking the time to review, your comments are much appreciated. Lots more hurt and angst to come!!_

**Chapter 11 **

Sam limped alongside his brother, letting Dean set the pace. He could keep a better check on his older sibling this way rather than in front or behind, stealing glances at Dean's shoulder and general appearance. He could hear Dean's laboured breathing but there was little he could do for that except make sure his brother rested every now and again.

Dean had just about ceased talking, and Sam noticed he was beginning to hunch over more and more as they continued. They still had a couple of hours of daylight left but even Sam was ready to call it quits for the day. He had found a sturdy tree branch, several inches in diameter which was making a perfect walking stick and which helped ease a little of the pressure from his leg.

"Dean, why don't you use this until we find a place to set up camp for the night." Sam held his stick out. They were nearly at the bottom of the hill and could see glimpses of the river up ahead. Their goal had been to make it to the riverbank by nightfall and somehow they had managed to stick to the plan without any further mishaps.

"Sam, unlike you I'm not eighty and I still have some dignity."

"Fine Dean but don't complain about how bad everything hurts just to get out of setting up camp. We're closer to the water again so we're gonna have to get a fire going and make sure we have a bit of shelter." Sam's eyes swept along the tree line upstream. "Maybe those trees down there might be worth a try." Sam pointed off to the left and began making his way in that direction.

"Well college boy, you can do that but I would recommend my way." Dean began moving slowly straight ahead towards a small group of trees nearly on the riverbank.

"Dean, those trees aren't gonna give us much shelter…"

"No Sam they're not but the cabin in the middle of them just might. I for one would prefer to sleep indoors but if you want to rough it I'm not going to stop you. Just knock twice to wake me in the morning." Dean continued slowly on his way as Sam stared open mouthed at the wooden structure blended perfectly into the surrounding trees. He could see it now he was looking for it but otherwise he would have missed it completely. Damn!

Dean focused on getting to the cabin, knowing he wouldn't be able to continue much further without a break. His chest ached with every breath and the numerous gashes and bruises adorning his body were making themselves known. The wound in his shoulder where the creature had bitten into him was however by far the worst. It had begun to tingle and burn about half an hour ago and now his thoughts were becoming fuzzy and jumbled. He began to feel as though someone was in his head whispering things he couldn't quite understand. Suddenly he felt like he was trapped, he couldn't speak but then just as quickly the feeling passed. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs.

His mind cleared a little, and he was just relieved they would be able to have some shelter for the night. He glanced over at his brother. Sam looked tired and was leaning into the stick at every step favouring his injured leg.

"Nearly there Sam, how're you doing?"

"Okay, you?" Sam lied.

"M'fine." Dean lied back.

The brothers finally reached the small log cabin and found to their surprise it looked fairly well maintained, at least from the outside. It was set back about 50 yards from the river, with a peaked tin roof out of which jutted a small chimney. The front of the cabin, which faced the river, had a small porch at the door but no windows. The door had a length of wood across its middle, fitted into a metal bracket serving as a latch. There was also a metal bolt at the very top of the door.

Dean placed a hand under the length of wood and lifted it about an inch before it seemed to become wedged firmly in the bracket.

"Looks like the woods swollen Sam, you want to give me a hand here?" Dean moved further along one end of the timber whilst Sam stepped forward and grabbed the other end.

The wood finally lifted and Sam reached up and worked the metal bolt until it too slid across and the door finally opened.

The remaining sunlight that filtered through the open door illuminated thousands of dust particles disturbed by the movement of the air and gave the room an almost surreal appearance. There was a square wooden table in the middle of the room with stools on two sides, a fairly large fireplace fitted with several metal bars and a plate across the top for cooking purposes and a large metal sink with a crude looking tap attached. However, what had grabbed the attention of both weary boys were the two stretcher beds placed along the side walls.

Sam stepped into the cabin, barely able to contain his relief at the fact that they not only had shelter for the night but a bed each. Sam painfully slid the backpack and sleeping bags off his shoulders and dumped them unceremoniously onto the table. They would have to find some wood before nightfall and get a fire going, better check that tap too, if it didn't work they should haul some water in from the river whilst there was still light enough to see. Sam glanced over at Dean only to see that his brother had not moved from the doorway, he seemed to be staring into space, his eyes looking a little glazed.

"Dean, what are you doing, are you alright? Dean, Dean?" Sam reached out and gently shook his brother's shoulder.

"I can't hear what it's saying Sam, it's in my head but I can't hear it." Dean staggered forward a step and winced as he pressed a hand against the wound on his shoulder. Suddenly Dean turned around and began walking back out the door "We can't stay here, have to go to the river, get to the water…"

Sam had no idea what his brother was talking about but started worrying that Dean was becoming delirious. He quickly grabbed Dean's arm and guided him over to one of the camp beds and sat him down carefully moving his hand to take a look at the bandages over the bite mark. A little blood had seeped through but for the most part the bleeding seemed to have stopped.

"Personal space again Sam, what're you doing?" Dean asked suddenly as though he had just snapped out of a trance.

"Dean you were just mumbling to yourself about voices so yeah I was a little concerned. You seemed out of it, what's going on, man?"

"I…I don't know Sam. I'm just tired I guess." Dean shook his head. "I think I lost a few minutes back there – according to Mulder that's classic UFO stuff."

"Yes Dean and that would definitely be the most rational explanation. You must be delirious." Sam grinned, a little relieved that Dean was at least sounding like Dean again.

The brothers made slow progress but finally managed to bring in a good stock of kindling and wood for the fire and whilst the tap actually seemed to be working, just, they also drew a couple of buckets of river water to be on the safe side. Sam closed and secured the door using the same wooden plank on a set of metal brackets fixed on the inside of the door.

Dean had just got the fire going and was sitting cross legged in front of the fireplace looking too weary to move. Sam grinned, giving his brother a moment whilst he began to unpack their supplies and look around.

Dean could feel the warmth from the fire seep into his body warming him to the point where he almost felt too hot. After being cold and damp for long enough, Dean welcomed the change but knew he would have to move back before he became singed. He began to feel the painful tingling in his shoulder again and a buzzing in his head like a swarm of bees. I have to open the door he thought, need to open the door. He shook his head, trying to think clearly but there seemed to be a thick fog that was making it difficult to form his own thoughts. What? He silently questioned himself, why would I need to open the door?

The minute he formed the question, the buzzing in his head became a roar that seemed to travel down to his shoulder, lancing hot pain through the bite mark in his chest. His hands clawed at his eyes trying to stop the agony as he groaned then yelled without even realizing. He wanted to speak, tell his brother but he couldn't talk or move and he began to panic.

Sam had put down the contents of the pack he had been holding when he first heard his brother's breathing increase and become a low moan. As he quickly moved towards the fire, he saw Dean begin to rock back and forth muttering and seemingly in pain.

"Dean what is it, what's…? Dean's yell startled Sam into action, grabbing his brothers' shoulders and moving him backwards away from the heat of the flames. Sam then moved Dean's legs as well so his brother was lying parallel to the fireplace. Dean was still clutching his face but his cries of pain had been replaced by gasps for breath.

"God Dean what happened, can you hear me? Dean, you need to tell me what happened." Sam was becoming alarmed at the lack of response and quickly jumped up to wet a cloth with some cold water as he noticed the sweat on his brothers' face.

Dean reacted to the cold as Sam placed the cloth on his forehead, his eyes finally opening much to Sam's relief. "Sammy, there's something…something here. I can hear it." Dean was trying to sit up, one hand still pressed against an eye. "It hurts." He whispered, closing his eyes again.

"Dean there's nothing here. Your shoulder's probably infected and remember you've got a pretty nasty bump on your head. I think everything's taking its toll Dean and you need to get some rest." Sam held Dean's elbow as he eased his brother off the floor and on to one of the beds. Dean sat, eyes half closed while he tried to sift through what had just happened.

Dean knew there was more to it but he was too tired to argue. Sam looked like shit as well so he may as well get some rest and sort it out in the morning. His head pounded sharply as he tried to recall what had happened. Maybe Sam was right, he was just tired and hurt. Dean chose to ignore the nagging doubt in the back of his mind, he decided to go against his own ingrained intuition that had been finely tuned over the years even though he had a bad feeling about it.

He welcomed the distraction as he watched Sam rifle through the drawers and cupboards in an almost random search pattern. "Ha!" Sam declared as he placed a dusty tin on the table next to two worse for wear tin mugs. "We have coffee…I think. Wanna try some?"

"Okay, I think. Are you sure?"

Sam poured some water in a saucepan and balanced it across the metal rods that were placed low over the fire. He pried the tin open with one of the few utensils in the drawer and sniffed the contents. "I think we have caffeine." He declared quietly.

Dean chose to ignore the fact that Sam had to chisel the contents of the tin into the mugs and soon each of the boys held a steaming mug of evil looking black liquid in their hands. The coffee had a bitter acrid taste but neither brother complained.

Sam had also rustled up some bits and pieces from their supplies, knowing they had to keep their energy levels up to continue their trek in the morning. Sam finally eased himself onto the other bed and gingerly propped up his injured leg. The boys ate and drank in comfortable silence both hungrier than they had realised.

Dean drank the last of his coffee, careful not to swallow the lumps in the bottom of the cup. He looked over at Sam who was watching him over the rim of his own cup. Dean stood slowly so as not to aggravate anything that would cause pain, especially with Sam already following his every move. He grimaced when the change in altitude made his head pound a little more but was thankful there were no more voices in his head. If there ever was to begin with, he reminded himself.

"I think we may as well get some sleep Dean, so we can get an early start tomorrow. The way we're traveling, we still may have another day before we get out of here." Sam's concern showed in his voice and his face. He knew his brother was toughing it out, even more than he was, but even Dean had his breaking point and Sam really didn't want to see him pushed that far. Not after everything he had already been through. Not after losing so much.

Dean was physically strong but each time he was pushed to his limits, Sam was sure he lost another little piece of his brother. More and more Dean seemed to isolate himself and hide his feelings, with humor, with anger, with silence.

"Sammy quit staring, you are now officially creeping me out dude. Spill it, what's wrong?"

"I'm just tired Dean. How about we get the fire stoked up and see if there are any more blankets stashed around here." Sam stood and began placing some more wood in the fireplace, carefully stacking it so as not to extinguish the existing flames.

Dean found some dusty but intact blankets and covers and shared them amongst the two beds, making sure any pattern remotely girly looking was placed on Sam's side.

Sam had finished with the fire and was checking the door, making sure the wood was firmly fitted into the brackets. Almost as an afterthought, he slid the metal bolt across at the very top of the door, and then shuffled over to the empty bed. He paused before pulling the numerous covers back to climb in, shaking his head and grinning at the distinct floral pattern on the topmost quilt.

"Thought you'd like that one grandma."

Sam noticed the weariness in his brother's voice. Dean's eyes were already half closed as Sam pulled his own covers up. The flames cast odd shifting shadows around the cabin and the crackle and smell of the fire had an almost soothing quality. Sam sat back up, "Dean I forgot to check your shoulder, it needs…"

"Forget it Sam. I'll check it in the morning when I look at your leg. G'night."

"How's your head Dean, there are still some painkillers if you…"

"G'night Sam."

"'Night Dean." Sam sighed in resignation. He knew Dean was tired and being stubborn but he had nowhere near the energy required to argue with Dean and win. Pick your battles, Sam thought to himself. He was asleep soon after his head hit the pillow.

The cabin grew still save for the dancing shadows and the occasional crack and sputter as a dry piece of wood ignited in the fireplace. A low mist settled outside following the path of the river, covering the ground in a chilling dampness.

Hand like paws padded silently across the grass, body so low to the ground it's belly was wet with dew. Pointed ears were alert for any sound and its nose twitched in anticipation with the scent of its prey. It crept past the side of the cabin and down to the dampness of the mud by the river where it curled in on itself and began a low keening noise. It had work to do to avenge its mate and it would wait no longer.

Her poison had been given enough time to work, she could feel the contact earlier when she had tested the power. She had been in his mind but then his thoughts had become too strong to control. She wouldn't have that problem again, she could feel the fever starting to burn in him which would give her the advantage this time. She would really like to hurt the other one, the one that had used the fire but she had not bitten that one and her powers would not control him. Her mates poison would already be starting to weaken now he was dead. She would kill them both for that.

**TBC…**


	12. Chapter 12

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

**Chapter 12 **

Dean felt like he was on fire and couldn't move…again. He couldn't get air into his lungs and he could hear his breathing become heavier, more laboured as he felt the first signs of panic. There was something wrong and he tried to call out to his brother but he couldn't even form the words. Dean felt the tingle in his shoulder start and travel up to his head. His head was burning, God he had to think. Sammy, he had to get Sammy…no, no, there was something here with them. Christ it hurt to think. Sam, he had to find Sammy he had to get out. Find the door, open the door, he needed air, he had to get out.

Dean sat up and climbed shakily out of bed, his whole body trembling with fever. His hair and shirt were soaked through with sweat and his eyes were opened but glazed and too bright. He staggered to the door, hands on the wooden brace, and stopped to shake his head. God, he was so cold. He had to open the door, no, no he had to get Sam. The pain that shot through his head dropped him to his knees, blood trickling from his nose and ears. He couldn't get up but his body was getting up anyway. No, no, no…aarghh. Fuck it hurt. Dean knew somewhere that he was fighting for control of himself. That there was something screaming in his mind, something that shouldn't be there but he couldn't get it out. Something screaming at him to open the door. Dean could not control this and he was scared.

Pain. Pain brought a little clarity for a second. He had to gain time, get Sam. Without really being able to think the plan through, Dean drew his head back and then slammed his forehead forward with such force it shook the door, clanking the metal bolt in its bracket. Dean's vision blurred as his own thoughts cleared. "Sammy, help me." He gasped as he collapsed onto the floor.

Sam was already springing out of bed, startled at the sound of his brother's head slamming into the door. In the dim light he saw Dean take a step back before crashing to the ground. Sam lunged to try and catch Dean but the stiffness in his injured leg made him fall short.

"Dean, Dean wake up. C'mon Dean what're doing over here, what's wrong?" Sam limped over to his brother and was shocked at his condition. Blood still trickled from his nose, looking black in the dim firelight. An open gash, already swelling and bruised was bleeding profusely and Dean was burning up. Sam moved his hand to place it under his brother's head and realised that blood was also dripping from his ears.

"What the fuck happened Dean. Christ how could I have let this happen to you?" Sam looked furtively around the cabin for any threat, any explanation of what had just happened here but found nothing. Nothing but his broken, bleeding brother.

Sam struggled but managed to drag Dean up and lay him on the top of his bed. Dean's body radiated heat yet shook with such intense shivers as though he was freezing. Sam wet a clean cloth and placed it on his brothers' forehead. He had to get Dean cooled down before he started having seizures or worse. Dean finally started stirring, his head shaking and his hands seemed to be trying to fight off some unseen threat. Sam finally had to grab his arms and try and wake him as he became more frantic.

"No, no, find Sammy, have to get Sam. Won't open the door, no I won't."

"Dean it's okay, I'm right here, you're okay now. Open your eyes Dean, c'mon man you've got to try and wake up for me." Sam pleaded.

"Sammy? Dean's eyes opened wide and he tried to sit up, looking around the cabin in a panic. "It's here, it's still here, Sam. It got in my head, I could hear it."

"What's here Dean? I can't find anything, what can you hear?" Sam placed a hand on Dean's good shoulder, gently pushing him back down on the pillow.

"I think…I think the water devil's here Sam. I don't know, I just, Christ Sam it's in my head and I just know."

"Dean, we killed it man. I burnt it to ashes. What, you think it's a ghost now, I guess it…"

"No Sam, not a ghost. It's here, nearby. It wants me to open the door and when I fight it, the pain gets worse. The only way I could make it stop was when I made the pain." Dean motioned to his head where it had connected with the door.

"God Dean, you mean you did that to yourself?" Sam looked shocked. Why was his brother always so willing to hurt himself or let himself be hurt?

"Well Sam it's not like I had a chance to discuss options here. I just wanted it out of my head." Dean slumped back against the pillows. He looked up at Sam, "What's happening here Sam, what are we going to do if it comes back?"

"I'm gonna take a look at your head first, and then you're gonna rest while I work this out." Sam had had gathered their own dwindling first aid supplies and a few items he had found in the cabin. He didn't have a clue how he was going to work this out but he could see Dean needed something to cling to and he sure as hell wasn't going to let his brother down.

Dean grinned weakly, "You've got no fucking idea have you Sammy!"

"Hey, have a little faith. You're talking to research guy remember. If you think this is linked to the water devil then there might be something in dad's journal or my notes that I've missed Dean. At least it's a starting point, just trust me okay. Now keep still while I clean this mess up, you could've at least picked something with a little more give than a door. I think you've probably reconcussed yourself."

"Oh great, now you're making words up geek boy, and if I'd have picked something softer, the whole pain is my friend theory wouldn't have worked. " Dean closed his eyes as Sam finished patching his head. He knew Sam was looking out for him and he knew he couldn't stay awake much longer. "Thanks Sam."

Sam looked at his brothers gaunt face, eyes already closed. "Get some rest Dean, I'll be right here."

**TBC…**


	13. Chapter 13

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

_a/n: Hope you're enjoying this...please let me know. I have now enabled anonymous reviews (I didn't realise they were blocked - oops)._

**Chapter 13**

Once Sam knew Dean was settled, he retrieved the journal and his notes and sat down in a chair facing the fireplace. He began reading and rereading the information, determined to find some clue as to what was going on. He had all but given up when two words scrawled at the bottom of the journal page caught his attention – blood link. He had seen them before and thought they referred to the link between the water devils but what if they pointed to a link established with their victims. That still wouldn't explain how Dean was being affected by a dead water devil. There was no indication that these things had any powers of reincarnation and it would be too much of a coincidence to think that this particular one had returned as a spirit. Back to the drawing board.

He glanced over at his brother when he heard Dean mumble and groan in his sleep. Dean looked feverish so Sam wet the cloths again and placed them over Dean's forehead and around his neck making his brother shiver involuntarily. He noticed one of Dean's hands had been placed over his shoulder and seemed to be pressing against the bite wound. Damn he hadn't checked it in a while maybe the infection was worse.

Sam slowly removed Dean's hand and peeled back his shirt to get to the dressing. God, he could see the dark stain seeping through the bandage. He gasped in shock however when he removed the bandage to see not only blood but a dark purple liquid covering the wound. Sam quickly checked his own leg to find the purple stain all but gone and the gash although deep and bloody was getting no worse. Why was Dean getting worse? He knew the purple stain was some kind of poison that initially paralysed and weakened, giving advantage to the water devil over larger prey. The poison should be getting out of his system now though not getting stronger.

Sam ran a hand through his hair in frustration. A blood link with Dean would make sense if the water devil was still alive but why wasn't he affected. Oh shit no. There had to be two of them, the one that bit him was dead, burnt to cinders but Dean must've been bitten by a different one. One that was still alive, one that was tracking them. There was no other explanation Sam could come up with, it made sense. It must be trying to get Dean outside near the water where it has advantage. What Sam didn't understand was why it hadn't attacked them before when they were outside.

Sam knew Dean seemed to be getting worse each time he heard the voice, he had to try and find a way to break the link. There were no rituals he knew of to break this sort of link, it usually involved destroying the talisman or other object used to control the victim. This was no ghost so a banishing spell or exorcism was useless. Holy water might weaken or dissolve the link. Sam knew he would have to try it but he wasn't relishing the idea as he knew it was going to cause Dean a lot of pain. He retrieved the flask of holy water and set it aside on the bed as he began to clean Dean's shoulder with tap water first.

Dean began to stir weakly at first, his eyes fluttering open and trying to focus. "Hey Sammy, five more minutes."

"Dean this is going to hurt man, I'm sorry but I have to do this okay?" Sam unscrewed the cap on the flask and placed a hand on Dean's chest just below the bite wound. It would probably be better to do this before he brother was properly awake, maybe the pain wouldn't register as much.

He was wrong.

Sam braced himself and poured the holy water directly on Dean's shoulder over the wound, tensing himself but not nearly prepared for the reaction. Smoke immediately hissed from the bite, the sound and smell almost making Sam sick to his stomach. The worst thing however was the gut wrenching scream full of agony that came from Dean as he arched his back and tried to roll away from Sam. As the scream ended, it was replaced by harsh and laboured breathing as Dean's eyes opened wide. Sam quickly put the flask down and held onto Dean's upper arms trying to restrain him.

"Sammy help me, it hurts. God it's in my head. No, no. We have to get out Sam, the river get to the river." Dean shook his head and started pushing against Sam trying to get up.

"No Dean, you can fight this. It wants us outside, we have to stay here." Sam increased the downward pressure on Dean feeling the fever coming in waves off his brothers' skin.

Dean felt like he was being torn in two. He could hearfeel the voice and the urgency of the creature. He could feel his body being pulled toward the door and to go against that pull was agony. His thoughts were becoming the creatures thoughts, and he tried with every ounce of strength he had left to fight it. God it hurt too much. His head was splitting, his shoulder was on fire. Dean felt the pressure on his arms release as he pushed Sam up and off him in one movement without even realising what he had done. He heard a crash but the pain was too intense for him to register what caused it. He was losing control and he had to get away.

Thoughts and images burst through his head disorientating him so much he didn't realise he had reached the door and opened it. He saw one image and clung to it. Knife. Cold sharp metal. He staggered out the door into the cold night, one hand now gripping the knife whilst the other removed the sheath and let it drop to the ground. Another thought flickered through his mind, this one so bright and familiar it seemed like home. Protect Sammy.

**TBC…**


	14. Chapter 14

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

**Chapter 14**

Sam opened his eyes at the same time trying to work out why he was so cold, why his head hurt and why he was crumpled on the floor. He gasped as reality struck full force when his eyes took in the empty cabin and open door. "God no Dean."

Sam scrambled to his feet, swaying as a bout of dizziness forced him to close his eyes and brace a hand against the wall. He slowly opened his eyes, vision still a little blurred and was about to race out the door after his brother when a rational thought struck. The only way to save Dean was to kill this thing and the only way to kill it was with fire. Fuck. Sam emptied the backpack onto the table, scattering contents all over the floor as well. He grabbed a zippo, the blowtorch, a handgun and a torch before he was out the door and into the approaching dawn. The sheath lying on the ground with Deans' hunting knife missing only increased his sense of urgency.

Without hesitation Sam took off in the direction of the river, scouring the ground as he went for signs of Dean's footprints. He soon found a trail in the mud and broke into an unsteady run, ignoring the flares of pain behind his eyes as he followed the footprints along the river bank. The grey approach of dawn gave enough light to turn the torch off and as he did so he caught movement from the corner of his eye and froze.

Dean was on his knees, wavering slightly as the water devil approached in a low crouch. As Sam watched, he saw a glint of metal along Dean's side suddenly flash and disappear into Dean's leg. At the same time as the creature leapt at his brother knocking him to the ground, Sam was sprinting towards them gun drawn in one hand and blowtorch in the other. He knew he would have to somehow get Dean clear before he could use either weapon but as he watched he saw Dean suddenly grab the creature and roll.

Dean knew in some vague way it was going to hurt like hell but he couldn't move from his knees as the water devils thoughts became so loud they almost exploded in his head over and over. Images of ripping flesh and blood, so much blood. "Hurt you, rip you, kill you both."

He felt like ice and his body and head pounded in pain. He could feel blood running across his face and down his chest – it felt like fire on his cold skin. In all the confusion and pain, that one thought came to the surface again and he desperately held on. Protect Sammy.

Save Sammy. Save Sammy. Dean slowly lifted the knife away from the side of his leg and then slowly plunged it deep into his skin. Pain. His pain. His thoughts – kill it. His breath was knocked from him as the creature pounced and he felt the teeth sink again into his shoulder. He felt its claws ripping the skin on his chest and arm. As his thoughts cleared and vision blurred, he drew the knife from his leg and with a grim determination he rolled and summoned the strength to stab the knife hilt deep into the predators' neck.

As the water devil released him and slid off his body, Dean was startled by the sound of gunshots next to him as Sam emptied the clip. He opened his eyes to a blinding glare and a warmth that almost hurt as Sam used the blowtorch until all that remained was a pile of ashes.

Dean couldn't move, he could only lie there as he watched Sam come over to him. He could only breath when he felt Sam lift him gently so he rested on Sam's legs with his head laying back against his brother. He could only close his eyes in relief when he felt Sam's hand gently brush across his forehead. He felt a surge of emotion when Sam's arms wrapped around him. He could only manage to say one word before his body broke into spasms from pain and cold.

"Over?"

Sam's voice broke "Yes Dean it's over, you're okay. It's all over now, you did it."

Tears welled in Sam's eyes, this part was over but he still had to get Dean back to the cabin. He still had to get Dean out of here. He still had to save his brother.

Sam gave Dean a few minutes to rest while he checked him over. God, he had to get Dean back to the cabin before he lost too much blood. Sam had no bandages or supplies with him and Dean was already shivering violently from the cold or from shock – probably both.

Sam placed a hand on Dean's forehead and his brother looked at him wearily. "Dean, I need to help you up and get you back to the cabin. Do you think you can stand?"

Dean answered by partially raising an arm out to Sam and nodding his head. Sam braced himself and grabbed Dean's arm, slowly pulling until his brother was on two feet. Sam then placed Dean's good arm around his shoulder and wrapped his other arm around his brother's waist. Dean's head was lowered and his breathed in short quick gasps, most of his weight resting on Sam. Sam willed himself to ignore the sharp pain in the back of his head where it had connected with the wall.

Sam half dragged, half carried Dean back along the river towards the cabin. The sun had finally risen but the air was still chilled enough to make their breath visible. The brothers didn't speak, Sam constantly watching Dean's face, hating the fact he could do nothing at the moment to take away the obvious agony that his brother was feeling. The cabin was only twenty feet away when Dean passed out, there was no warning sign just the sudden dead weight in Sam's arms. Sam readjusted Dean's weight over his shoulder, braced his knees and carried him the short distance in a fireman's lift, knowing it would aggravate the numerous injuries but having no choice.

Sam lowered Dean onto a bed, he felt his back and shoulders burning with the effort, the muscle in his injured leg screaming in protest. He sat on the bed his head spinning, trying to steady his breathing. Sam stood slowly after a minute, the warmth in the cabin restoring his body function a little and clearing his mind.

Sam stoked the fire first and then grabbed all the medical supplies and placed them on a chair next to the bed. He then placed a large tin saucepan full of water over the fire and proceeded to tear a clean sheet into strips to use as a bandage. Dean did not even stir as Sam began to remove his wet and bloodied clothes, placing them over the other chair by the fire to dry as they didn't have the luxury of clean clothes.

Once Dean was stripped down to his boxers, Sam proceeded to assess the damage. The bite wound had been gouged open and Deans' shoulder was a mess. The recent bandage Sam had placed on his head was half off and the bruising had now spread down to one eye. There were fresh claw marks on Dean's chest and down one arm and then Sam saw the bloody knife wound in his upper leg. Sam felt a chill go through him as he realised Dean had done this to himself.

"I wasn't going to leave you Dean, I wasn't going to lose you. Why couldn't you have just waited for me to help you. Why won't you let me help you?" he spoke quietly.

Sam felt deflated. Dean had bashed his head and stabbed himself with a knife 'cause he didn't think Sam could help him, save him. Maybe Dean was right, after all he let Dean get taken the first time, then let the creature attack while he was asleep and then he couldn't even keep his brother in the cabin away from the creature and it had done this. He would get Dean out of here, he had to prove to Dean he could save him, would do anything for him.

Sam mixed the hot water from the fire with some cold and began washing the blood from Dean's injuries. The warm water felt hot to Sam's still cold fingers and Dean groaned and moved as Sam bathed his shoulder. Dean's eyes opened but Sam wasn't sure if he was fully conscious.

"Hey Dean, are you with me?"

"Sam. Sam where, is it dead?"

"Yeah Dean, it's really over this time okay. Just lie still and let me clean you up."

Sam felt Dean's body tense as he tried to clean the purple poison from the fresh bites and claw marks. He tried to focus on what he was doing, tried not to take too much notice of the gasps and flinches as Dean attempted to hide the pain. He had to do this properly or Dean would get worse. "I'm sorry Dean, I'm sorry." He whispered over and over again.

Sam was taping the last bandage around Dean's upper arm. Dean's body was shaking constantly now, Sam wasn't sure if it was the pain the fever or blood loss. He would get Dean warm in a minute and try and get him to take a painkiller. Sam was lost in his thoughts and jumped slightly when Dean's hand closed around his wrist.

"Sammy it's alright, we'll work this out okay. "

Sam chose to ignore Dean's words of comfort. He didn't deserve to be comforted, didn't Dean think he could get them out. Sam stood, Deans hand slipping from his wrist, and returned with a cup of water and two tablets. The room swayed a little and was becoming blurry but Sam was too focused on Dean to notice.

"You need to take these." Sam placed a hand behind Dean and helped him sit up a little and watched as he swallowed the tablets.

"You need to rest for a bit Dean, you've lost blood and you've still got a fever. The poison should start to weaken but you're pretty banged up. Again." Sam squinted as Dean swam in and out of focus.

Dean was in a world of pain and he was still finding it hard to breath but Sam's voice was setting off alarm bells, it sounded cut off, lifeless. Dean tried to sit up, there must be something wrong – Sam must be hurt as well. Dean gasped as his body protested the movement.

"Sam what's wrong with you? Are you hurt?" Dean reached out a hand to turn Sam's face so he could see his brothers' eyes but Sam pushed his arm away forcefully enough to elicit a moan as his shoulder was jarred.

"No Dean, you're the one who's hurt. I couldn't stop you getting hurt, not that you would let me anyway. You'd rather hurt yourself than let me try and help you. What, so you'd rather die than let me save you. You're just like Dad and you'll probably die just like Dad. For nothing. For me. I hate this. I hate that you do this." Sam stood and instantly wished he hadn't as pain exploded in his head and down his neck. He was so angry he was shaking.

"Sam? I didn't mean, God Sam I'm sorry." Dean was confused. He must have done something to cause this, why was his brother suddenly so angry at him. Dean watched as Sam suddenly clutched his head as though he was having a vision. As Sam took a shaky step backwards he body turning away, Dean saw a trail of red running down Sam's neck and soaking through his shirt.

"Sam, I need you to sit down now." Dean braced himself and rolled his feet off the bed. Sam was either ignoring him or unable to comply. He guessed the latter as his brother sank to his knees, his hands grabbing at his head.

"Sammy." Dean sat clutching his shoulder. He somehow made it over to Sam and pulled his hands away from his head so he could get a better look - Sam's hands came away covered in blood. Dean tilted Sam's head up, noticing the pale skin and definitely uneven pupils. Concussion, well that explains it.

Dean got his brother to sit on the bed so he could clean Sam's head and get a look at the cut. When the hell had this happened? It needed stitches but Dean had to make do with gauze and tape. He placed a strip of sheet which Sam had conveniently ripped up earlier, over the top to secure it in place, his hands shaking so much he could barely finish the job.

Sam hadn't spoken since his outburst and Dean was glad and concerned at the same time. He couldn't talk about all that shit, not now maybe not ever but he needed to know how Sam was doing, whether he was hurt anywhere else. Dean got up and stumbled over to the first aid kit, hoping Sam hadn't given him the last of the painkillers and was relieved to still find five left in the bottle. As he made his way back to the bed, Dean saw the spatter of blood against the far wall and on the corner of the metal grate holding their firewood supplies. Shit, no wonder Sam was hurt but how?

"Sam, you need to take these." No response.

"Sam?" Dean placed a hand on Sam's shoulder

Sam held out a hand for the tablets, placing them in his mouth and then took the cup Dean offered, the same cup he had handed to Dean just before…just before he had said all those things. Just before his mind had self destructed.

"Sam please man, what happened? Talk to me Sammy." Dean pleaded. He could feel the painkillers taking effect, dulling his pain to a steady ache but he felt sick seeing his brother like this. There was more to it than concussion, Sam was withdrawing and wouldn't even look at him. "Sam I need you to talk to me, I need to know you're alright. I don't know what happened to you, I don't remember much except bits and pieces. Sam I need you here I can't do this without you."

"S'okay Dean, sleep now." Sam's words slurred as he closed his eyes and relaxed into the pillow.

Dean was concerned but not surprised that Sam had lost consciousness. He knew Sam was exhausted and had somehow got him back here from…the river? Dean shook his head, he couldn't remember much except the pain and the voice in his head. He shivered, realizing he was only dressed in his boxers and looked around for his clothes. His t-shirt was a mess of blood and mud but reasonably dry and he slipped it on with some difficulty, sweating and trembling from the effort.

He went back to Sam and checked his pulse, ignoring his own raspy breaths and the sharp pain in his ribs. Sam seemed to be sleeping but was still dressed in his damp clothes. Damn you Sam, you could look after yourself a little. Dean had to sit on the edge of the bed and managed with some effort to remove his brothers' jeans, shirt, shoes and socks. The gash in Sam's leg still looked red and swollen, and seemed to cut deep into the muscle. Dean's hands still shook as he rebandaged his brother's leg but he was determined to finish, knowing Sam would protest once he was awake.

Dean was panting and drenched in sweat by the time he had finished and all he wanted to do was lie down. He covered Sam up with blankets and staggered back to his own bed where he collapsed in a heap.

**TBC…**


	15. Chapter 15

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

_a/n: Thank you **heather03nmg, **spootycup, **DeanBeanWinchester, Poppyflake, VanessaSgroi, cassidy, shywalk, ukfan, LettyLiz, ip123, JKRichards, Winchester494, NovemberSN, Swasti, Rae666, march68, boscoslut, quesse.beryl, pageavenue57, alwaysateen, Winchester494, Sammygirl1963 and supernaturalsammy67. I never realised how much reviews actually inspire people to write, I am going to amend my ways and start reviewing more!! **_

**Chapter 15**

Sam could not conceive the pain that was possible from doing something as simple as opening his eyes. He closed them again straight away and froze hoping it would all go away but no joy there. Oh shit. His mind began to remember the events of the past two, three days? He wasn't sure. This pain was new though still fresh, and there was a bad feeling that went with it, something he knew he couldn't quite remember. He tried again to open his eyes, prepared this time and squinting against the dim light that filled the cabin. God he didn't even know what time it was, he vaguely remembered being outside in the dark with Dean. Dean.

Sam slowly propped himself up on his arms and noticed he had no clothes on except for his boxers. His hand went to his head and gingerly touched the bandage. How long had he been out, Dean must've looked after him but he didn't remember falling asleep. He sat up further and looked across at the other bed. Dean was laying face down across the top of the covers, at least he had a t-shirt on but Sam noticed the fire had all but gone out and there was a definite chill in the air.

Sam placed his feet on the floor and slowly stood then bent at the waist and braced his hands on his legs above the knees until the dizziness passed. He detoured over to his clothes and put on a long sleeved shirt before he put some more wood on the fire and finally sat down on the edge of Dean's bed.

"Dean, hey wake up man. Dean."

Dean moaned and then turned quickly, too quickly. He clutched his chest and gasped.

"Sam. God Sam, you're okay. I thought you…are you still angry at me?" Dean's voice dropped to almost a whisper.

Sam didn't answer straight away, the pain and uncertainty in his brothers eyes giving him reason to pause. He remembered what – Dean pushing him and running out. The knife, the gun, the fire then getting Dean back here. Sam glanced over Dean's injuries as he remembered how bad they looked when he cleaned them when, last night? He remembered the pain in his head, he remembered how he was so angry he couldn't breathe….God what had he done.

Sam shook his head and placed it in his hands. God he had been so scared for Dean but the words had come out all wrong. He was angry at himself not Dean. His head had jumbled everything up but Dean would never believe him.

"Dean, I didn't mean, God Dean I'm sorry. I try to help you but you keep getting hurt and all I do is try and patch you up. Dean you had to hurt yourself on purpose 'cause I couldn't help you in time."

"None of that matters Sam. Pain was the only thing that I could use to block its voice out, my pain on my terms. I knew you were coming for me Sam I just had to make sure I was still there. It was…it was like I was losing myself."

"I thought," Sam paused. "I wasn't sure how far you were going to go Dean, I can't lose you too. Those things I said, I didn't…"

"I know Sam, it was the concussion talking and just for the record, I might get hurt a bit, but I usually try to avoid self inflicted injuries." I would do it again though Sam if I thought it would stop you getting hurt, Dean added silently to himself.

"So we're okay?" Sam just really wanted to, needed to hear it out loud.

"We're good Sam, and thanks for looking after me man." Dean knew Sam needed to hear it but the chick flick moment was definitely over. "Could you have used any more bandages though, I'm feeling a lot like an Egyptian mummy here."

"Well if you'd stop pretending to be some kind of chew toy I wouldn't have to." Sam grinned, relieved that Dean didn't seem upset at him.

"So Sammy, what's the plan? It's nearly four o'clock, we must have slept most of the day, don't ask me which day though." Dean slowly got off the bed cautiously stretching and testing what was sore. He found to his dismay, that although just about every part of him hurt, he also felt a grating pain in his ribs. Damn.

"I guess we spend another night here and rest up, then try and hike out of this place tomorrow. If we get an early start we might actually sleep in real beds tomorrow night. In the meantime, you wanna try another cup of that coffee stuff, I mean it didn't kill us last time." Sam absently rubbed the bandage on his head.

"You make the coffee and I'll try and get some more wood for the night, there's no much left in the grate." Dean paused as his eyes saw the bloodstain, Sam's bloodstain on the grate and the wall. Sam hadn't mentioned it and he hadn't asked but he must have done it, somehow. He was responsible for Sam hitting his head and getting hurt and he didn't even remember.

"Wait a minute Dean, I'll do it. You've got to rest, you can't..."

"Sam you've got a concussion, bending and lifting is not something you should be doing. There's wood already cut out back, I won't be long." Dean was out the door before Sam could protest. He closed the door behind him and walked around the side of the cabin. Dean's breathing was labored by the time he got to the woodpile and he rested his hand on the wooden overhang sheltering the cut logs from the weather. His other hand pressed against his ribcage feeling down and across. "Shit." He groaned as he confirmed his latest injury. He must've cracked a rib during his last fight with the creature. Well he would just have to deal with it.

Dean filled the log carrier, and half dragged half carried it with one arm round to the cabin door. He stopped briefly to compose himself before entering, hoping Sam was too occupied to notice how much he was puffing and sweating. He picked the logs up and pushed the door open walking as quickly as he could over to the grate and putting them down with a thump. God it hurt he had to get some air. "I'll just put the carrier back out."

Dean stood outside taking short sharp breaths so it wouldn't hurt. He was still only in his boxers and a t-shirt but he was sweating from the pain and lack of oxygen. He walked back in the cabin after a few minutes, and sat down on his bed. Sam had made the coffee, which sat on the table along with a silver tin and rusty tin opener.

"Well you're just in time to watch the opening of the mystery tin I found in the cupboard." Sam held the unlabelled can up triumphantly.

"Go on then but it better not stink the cabin out. God knows how long it's been fermenting." Dean eyed it suspiciously.

Sam hesitated, not having thought of that but also a little surprised at how pale Dean looked. Sam mentally shook his head, of course Dean would look pale after what he's been through.

"Here goes." Sam held the tin as far from himself as possible as he fought the antique tin opener. As the lid gave way, Sam grinned as he looked inside cautiously sniffing the contents. "Beans. Baked Beans, and I think they're still good."

"No way Sam. You do remember what happened in the car last time you ate beans. You eat them, you sleep outside – your choice." Dean actually felt sick to the stomach at the very thought of eating. He knew he should be starving given what limited supplies they had survived on so far but there was no way he could eat. Let alone eat beans.

"C'mon Dean you've got to eat, we haven't got a lot of options here. I think there're some potato chips, maybe a few M&M's, beef jerky and dried fruit and nuts. Sam reached into the front pocket of his backpack, "And an apple."

Dean knew he would have to eat or Sam would fuss, "Give me the apple."

Sam tossed it over shaking his head. "I'll eat half the can now and if you change your mind, you can have the rest for breakfast before we leave." Sam sat down and paced both arms on the table and sighed heavily. "I'm gonna turn in after this Dean."

"Head hurting?"

"Yeah, it should be okay after a good nights sleep though. How 'bout you?"

"I'll be fine by morning Sammy. That good nights sleep sound pretty good."

The boys had their meal and began getting ready to turn in for the night. Sam checked the door and organised their packs for an early get away. Dean stoked the fire and put a couple more logs on for the night, checking to make sure they were placed securely and wouldn't roll as they burnt down. He rose slowly, using the chair to lean on so he wouldn't stretch his rib cage or jar his shoulder.

Neither Dean nor Sam had bothered to put their jeans on, opting to wait until morning to get dressed properly. Dean sat down on his bed and looked over at Sam who had swapped long sleeves for his t-shirt and was now unraveling the bandage around his head.

"What are you doing Sam, leave it on. You need to keep the pressure on it."

"Dean it's so loose it'll probably wrap around my neck and choke me while I sleep. Besides, I think it should be okay, I'll put it back on in the morning if I need to alright. How about I check your shoulder before we turn in, you look like it's stiffened up a bit."

"No Sam, I just want to get some sleep. It's still sore but it's okay." He didn't want Sam poking and prodding anywhere near his rib or ribs that were possibly cracked. Dean got into bed as quickly as he could which, he soon realised was not very quickly at all. In the time it took him to swivel his legs up onto the bed and turn carefully on his good side, Sam sat down next to him.

"Dude what the..."

"Just shut up Dean. I need to make sure the poison is going, the last time I didn't check look what happened. I'm just going to lift the bandage and dressing and have a look. No argument."

Dean knew he wasn't going to win this fight, so he gave in to conserve energy. If he lay still, the quicker this would be over with and the less chance of Sam fussing.

Dean winced and held his breath as Sam lifted the bandage a little too fast.

"Sorry Dean. It isn't as purple, which is good – the poison is dissipating. It's still really red around the edges though but I can't tell whether it's from the fresh bite marks or whether it's getting infected. We'll have to keep an eye on it and Dean…you're going to have to tell me if it gets worse. I know that goes against every fibre of your being but I need to know if it gets worse. Please."

"Fine Sam but I'm going to sleep now so go away. And thanks."

Five minutes later they were both asleep.

**TBC…**


	16. Chapter 16

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

_a/n: Your inspiring reviews have made me post this as quickly as I could, so thanx muchly. Only two chapters to go after this – if all goes to plan!_

**Chapter 16**

Sam had set his watch for 6am but it took him a few minutes to register what the noise was before he finally turned the alarm off. His head felt like a lead balloon and his neck had become stiff overnight. He groaned as he sat up, his bleary eyes looked over to where Dean lay with both arms wrapped across his body and one leg on top of the covers. He could hear Dean's breath rattling from where he sat.

Sam got up and slowly got dressed in clothes that had seen better days listening to the noise of the rain as it hit the tin roof. Rain. God could things get any worse…Sam stopped that train of thought abruptly, of course things could get worse. At the moment they were both still able to function and hopefully able to walk out of this place in the next day, a little rain and cold might slow them down but it wasn't going to stop them.

Sam was surprised when Dean hadn't stirred by the time he had boiled the water and made up the last of the coffee. Sam placed the half tin of beans and some trail mix out for a snack before they left figuring they had about enough for one more snack each before they ran out completely. He walked over to his brother's bed and plonked himself on the edge.

"Dean, wake up sunshine."

"Sam?' Dean groaned. "What time is it?"

"It's almost half past six, and I've made coffee. We have to get going soon if we want to get out of here before it gets dark."

"Fine just give me a minute." Dean looked at Sam expectantly until he moved and sat down at the table sipping his coffee and looking over the map. Dean slowly leaned onto one side and braced himself with his good shoulder to sit up and place his feet on the floor. He then held his breath whilst he stood up, swaying a little but unable to help it. He reached the chair in a few steps and using the chair and table for support, eased himself down. He let his breath out slowly but he felt the trickle of sweat across his brow and down his back from the effort.

"So what's hurting the most, 'cause you don't look so good Dean?"

"I'm just tired and sore Sam. Everything hurts and I just want to get out of here. Dude you can't sit there and tell me you feel any different, can you?"

Sam shook his head. "No I guess not. As long as you're sure you're up for it."

Dean picked up his cup "Let's just get going Sam, I need a real cup of coffee and a hot shower real soon."

Sam grinned. "I hear ya!"

Dean got dressed whilst Sam filled their water bottles with the cooling boiled water left over from their coffee. The brothers packed up, making sure the fire was out completely and the cabin was pretty much how they'd found it, save for a missing sheet or two that had been sacrificed for bandages. Sam grabbed his backpack, which he had purposefully packed with the heavier items, and slung it on his back before Dean could compare them.

With a final look they closed the cabin door and set out along the trail that would hopefully get them out of this place.

Sam led the way, fairly certain of the direction and landmarks he was looking for to get his bearings. He had kept the walking stick he had found previously, and found leaning into it helped ease the pain a little from his leg. He knew he would have to expect some grandpa jokes along the way but so far neither had spoken much. Sam soon became lost in his thoughts, concentrating on the rise over the next hill determined to find the shortest route out whilst ignoring the steady fall of rain.

Dean was glad when Sam took the lead, all he had to do was follow Sam's feet and concentrate on walking. That was about all he could do right about now. He had gingerly put the backpack on his good shoulder, biting back a grimace when the movement had stretched his ribcage and grated the broken bone. The pain had then dulled to an aching thud but after walking for a couple of hours, he could feel himself panting from exertion and each breath brought a stab of agony. His shoulder throbbed in rhythm and he was too busy reciting the mantra, breath, walk, breath, walk, to notice that Sam had stopped ahead of him.

"Dean, whoa – I thought we could stop here for a break. There's a bit of shelter under these trees."

Dean stopped and looked around, he hadn't realised that Sam had lead them into a small patch of trees that stopped most of the rain getting through. He dropped his good shoulder and let the pack slide off onto the ground with a thud. He watched as Sam managed to sit on the ground with his injured leg stretched out in front of him and began to rummage through his pack. He knew he wouldn't be able to sit on the ground without giving away the extent of his injuries so he elected to stand, leaning against the trunk of the tree they were sheltering underneath. Sam had enough to worry about and Dean needed him to keep a clear head and get them out of here.

As Dean watched, Sam tentatively rubbed the side of his face and then briefly touched the back of his head, wincing a little as his hand came into contact with the bump and no doubt bruise that was there. "How's your head Sammy?"

"Just a headache, not the worst I've ever had, just persistent. Why don't you sit down Dean, you need to rest for a minute man. We've still got a few hours ahead of us and we're gonna have to cross the river up ahead pretty soon. I just hope we can find a good place to cross 'cause I really don't feel like a swim right now."

"That makes two of us. Sitting down is for old men with walking sticks Sam and I don't want to lose my momentum so let's keep going." Dean took a swig from the water bottle Sam handed him and passed it back. He could feel the cold water going down and it hurt his chest, he wasn't really thirsty or hungry for that matter. He wasn't even cold, the pain seemed to take every other sense away which made it easier to just focus on breathing and following Sammy.

Sam shook his head and looked at his brother. Dean was so pale and haggard, he looked so weary he would fall if the tree trunk wasn't holding him up. As Sam got off the ground with a groan, he understood why Dean chose to stand as all his aches seemed to return tenfold sapping his energy level momentarily until he adjusted to the pain.

They moved off again and traveled along the path that Sam set, coming to the river after another two hours. Sam started to shiver as the temperature dropped the closer they came to the water. Even though they were drenched from the constant drizzle, he wasn't looking forward to crossing the icy torrent and his eyes started searching for a safe and shallow place to get over to the other bank. The river wasn't that wide but it was hard to tell how strong the current was or how deep the water. He walked toward what looked like a small sandbank that protruded into the water on each side, thinking this was as good a place as any.

Dean seemed to have withdrawn from his surroundings, Sam assumed he was trying to cope with the pain he would have to be feeling. Even though the toxin would be weakening in his blood, the pain from the bite wound and other injuries would be taking its toll so Sam thought it best to just let him be for a while. Sam reached the small sandbank and looked over to the other side, about 15-20 feet away.

"Dean stay there, I'm gonna try and see how deep it is."I'd say we can get across here pretty easy." Sam stepped down onto the sand and used his stick ahead of him in the water. After two or three steps it was still only shin deep, so far so good.

Dean heard Sam but speaking at the moment was not an option that even occurred to him so he stood obediently on the bank and watched as his brother began to wade into the water. Now he had stopped he was vaguely aware of the fact that he just wanted to lie down and go to sleep. He knew he had to keep his eyes open and watch Sam, make sure Sam was alright. He saw Sam turn to him and wave him forward and he made himself move towards his brother who was halfway across, the water still only up to his thighs.

"The current's fairly strong Dean but the water's not that deep so just brace yourself against it. Are you up for this?"

"Yeah Sam, m'fine." Dean stepped into the water the icy chill immediately traveling through his body, he concentrated on following his brother's path staring down into the water as he moved. He remembered the feeling of being dragged like a rag doll beneath the surface, his body being cruelly tossed against everything his path. He remembered the fire in his lungs and the water seeping into his nose and mouth, trickling down his throat. He couldn't breath and he started to panic.

He gasped in surprise when he felt a pressure around his bicep and he opened his eyes blinking, wondering when he had closed them and why Sam was right in his face.

"Dean, it's alright just keep walking okay. I've got you, just keep walking." Sam had looked back to see Dean almost half way across but not moving and had wasted no time getting back to his brother and placing a steadying hand on his arm. Dean's eyes were closed and Sam could hear him breathing in ragged gasps. He finally got Dean onto the other side and up onto the embankment, both of them shivering.

He grasped both Dean's arms and bent his head down, trying to check Dean's eyes and get his attention. His brother seemed dazed, his eyes glassy and Sam began to realise that Dean was in a lot worse shape than he had thought. He had to get Dean sitting down so he could check him over, his shoulder must be infected after all. Sam started to gently push his brother's arms down so he could sit but Dean started to struggle with him, moaning and gasping for breath. Sam was at a loss to understand what was wrong but knew he was somehow hurting Dean.

"Dean tell me, you gotta tell me what's wrong so I can help you. Please." Sam watched as Dean began to slowly rock back and forth arms clutched across his chest.

"My ribs Sam, I think I've broken a couple of ribs." Dean's voice was low and gravelly.

"Christ Dean you should have said something, you shouldn't be carrying the pack and I wouldn't have walked so fast. When did it happen?"

"When the water devil jumped me last night, I couldn't think, I couldn't move in time." Dean shook his head.

"I'm sorry man, I should've got there sooner. I…"

"Not your fault Sam. We have to keep going, we've got to keep moving." Dean swayed a little on his feet but didn't seem to notice as Sam still clutched his arm.

Sam looked around and gently led Dean over to a fallen tree trunk, long dead but still looking sturdy enough to sit on. Sam quickly checked it to make sure there were no snakes or other nasties hiding in or around it and motioned for Dean to sit.

"You need to sit for a minute Dean, you need to rest and I need to bandage you ribs so you can move and breathe a bit easier. Put your arm around my neck and I'll lower you down."

Dean silently acquiesced and once sitting, was grateful for the relief. He watched as Sam, expertly checked and wrapped his ribs with another part of the torn sheet they had borrowed. Once the bandage was secured, he felt he could move a little easier without the searing pain.

Dean knew he should have told Sam how bad it had been getting but he found it hard to break the habit of putting up a brave front. Hiding his pain whether it was physical or whether it was from the barrage of emotions that sometimes threatened to overwhelm him. The physical pain was sometimes easier to bear, it usually healed well save for some superficial scarring which he could hide or ignore. The thoughts and feelings and memories, well that was another matter. If he gave in to them, even a bit, he didn't think he would be able to stop and it would be too much. He knew he would be washed away, lost – and not even Sam could save him.

So Dean did what Dean always did, he gave a little to hide a lot. He didn't do it because he didn't trust Sam he did it out of love. He did it to protect his little brother and he did it without a second thought.

Dean acknowledged the pain from his broken ribs – he couldn't hide it any more anyway. He let Sam fix him, let Sam in a little. He didn't tell Sam about the fire that was spreading from his bite wound down his arm and the hotcold ache that meant infection was finally taking a hold. He didn't tell Sam about the small amount of blood that he had coughed into his hand about 10 minutes ago that probably meant his broken ribs had damaged something inside. He didn't tell Sam that he really just wanted to lie down and go to sleep because he had had enough. He didn't tell Sam because his little brother was hurt and tired and worried enough and they had to keep moving.

"Dean I'm gonna get us out of here okay. I'm gonna repack everything into my pack that I can fit and we'll ditch your pack so just give me a sec."

"Sam I can carry it over one arm, we can't…"

"Dean don't argue with me on this, you can't carry it." I'm hoping we just have to get up this next rise and we should be near where we started out but that's still another two or three hours walking and we'll be pushing daylight as it is."

"Fine Sam but don't leave the guns."

"Fine."

Sam finally stood and secured the pack over his shoulders, adjusting the straps a little to even out the weight. He bent at the waist and, without asking, quickly placed Dean's good arm across his shoulders so he could support Dean as he stood.

Dean leaned on his brother without complaint and stood slowly, his other arm braced across his chest. He leaned on Sam for a moment and then slowly removed his arm willing himself not to fall down.

"Okay Sammy, let's get out of here."

**TBC…**


	17. Chapter 17

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

_a/n: Well here are the final two chapters - enjoy. I think I am hooked now as I already have an idea for another story. Again, many thanks to those who give up their time to review - I appreciate and look forward to every single comment. _

_lucablue._

**Chapter 17**

They had walked for another two hours, stopping every half an hour or so to sip water and catch their breath and bearings. Sam had set a slower pace so Dean could cope and insisted on checking the map often, more to check the state of his brother than anything. They were walking up the rather steep incline at an angle, and Sam stopped when they reached a rocky plateau near the top of the slope. The last part of the rise looked harder, the terrain became rocky and Sam wanted to make sure Dean was up for it.

Dean had hardly spoken at their last rest break, and wouldn't drink anything either. Sam knew his brother must be near exhaustion as he felt his own energy levels almost depleted. If they could just get to the top of this ridge, Sam knew they were going to make it out before dark.

"C'mon Dean you've got to drink something, man. This last part is gonna be hard and I don't think I can carry you."

"Not thirsty Sam. You have it."

"Dean it's hardly stopped raining, I don't think we'll run out of water. Please just have a sip."

Dean sighed and held his hand out, Sam didn't miss the fact that Dean was shaking all over as he took the bottle and lifted it to his mouth. Sam himself was shaking from the wet and cold and could hardly feel his fingertips.

The brothers started up the slope, the wet ground making it difficult to get a firm foothold. Sam used his stick to test the ground and tried to find the easiest and safest path for Dean to follow. He set the stick down and had just lifted his good leg to step up when he lost his footing and came down hard on his injured leg almost sliding back onto Dean. Sam felt the rough gravel cut against the gash in his leg and curled over, both hands clutching at his lower leg, as he cried out in pain.

Without thinking, Dean bent over Sam to stop his momentum and knelt down beside his brother to check the damage. With one hand still across his ribs, he moved the already shredded material of Sam's jeans to see that the bandage was now becoming red from fresh blood.

"Sam, we need to wrap over this bandage to stop the bleeding. We've got to keep the pressure on it. I need to get a bandage out, can you sit up?"

Sam nodded and raised himself on his elbows then hands to a sitting position and eased the pack off his shoulders. Dean, still only using one hand, unzipped the pack and grabbed the medical supplies which were on top.

Dean held the bandage in one hand and looked at Sam. "Okay Sam you're going to have to wrap it so do it firmly and wrap it from your knee to your ankle. It's probably easier if you just go over the top of your jeans as well."

Sam glanced at Dean and took the bandage and began wrapping his leg.

"Dean, what's wrong with your arm?" Sam questioned quietly.

"I can't move it Sam. Just watch what you're doing there."

Sam secured the bandage and could see a red stain seeping through the already sodden bandage. It was a deep pain like a knife cut that seemed to pound with every heartbeat. He looked over at Dean who had somehow used the backpack to lean on and regain his feet and now stood feet planted apart for balance with his arm outstretched to Sam.

"C'mon Sammy, we're nearly there." Dean's mouth turned up in a half smile that didn't reach his eyes but Sam was grateful for the attempted optimism.

"Dean, please let me look at your arm. I need to …"

"Sam don't – there's nothing you can do about it now. Please." Dean held his good arm out to his brother.

Sam took Dean's hand to get up but only as a token gesture, careful to make sure he placed more weight on his stick than his fragile looking big brother. He knew Dean was right, they had nothing to treat infection and the sooner they got out the sooner Dean could get proper medical attention.

After another agonising forty minutes the brothers reached the top and finally some flat ground. Sam once again got out the hardly recognizable map which was a soggy crumpled mess and pointed along the tree line to their right.

"I remember this Dean we're nearly…" Sam stopped short as he heard a gasp and turned to look at his brother. Dean was struggling to draw breath, his lips tinged blue. However what got Sam's immediate attention was the thin line of blood that was trickling from the corner of Dean's mouth.

As Sam watched, Dean smiled, "Safe Bobby." Dean whispered then in almost slow motion he crumpled to the ground.

"Dean no, God, c'mon Dean we're nearly there. It's me Sam, Sammy – Bobby's not here Dean." Sam held Dean's face and was amazed at the amount of heat coming from his brother, he was burning up and shivering violently. No, they were so close this couldn't be happening.

Sam yelled out in alarm and sat stunned when he felt a hand clasp his shoulder and turned to look up into the squinting eyes of Bobby. He didn't move, knowing it was some trick of his mind. He must be as delusional as Dean. He could see notreallytherebobby was saying something and moving his arms a lot but it wasn't making much sense. He turned back to Dean. Christ Dean wasn't moving and he had to get them out.

Sam felt something warm across his shoulders and a firm hand on his arm. "Son, you need to listen to me now. I've already called for help but I need you to tell me what happened. Sam I need you to tell me where Dean is hurt."

Sam blinked at Bobby. It really was Bobby. "He's, he's got broken ribs – I think he's bleeding internally Bobby. He didn't tell me and he carried a backpack, God I should've known he wouldn't tell me. I should've gone slower, it's my fault Bobby. He's got a bite wound on his shoulder and I think it must be infected. He said he couldn't move his arm."

"A bite wound Sam, what from?"

"The water devil. We killed it, killed them but it got inside Dean's head and …Oh God Bobby Dean's really hurt. We've got to get help now." Sam struggled to get up but Bobby pushed him firmly back down.

"Sam stay there." Bobby commanded. "I can't look after your brother if I'm worried that you're going to fall on your ass. Stay there."

Sam looked on as Bobby covered Dean in another blanket and checked his vitals, making sure he was getting at least some air. Dean's lips were still tinged blue and he was struggling to breath but at least he was breathing.

Bobby took one look under the bandage at the bite wound and shook his head solemnly. "Sam, how long hasn't he been able to move his arm?"

"I, I don't know. A couple of hours maybe. Why Bobby, how bad is it?"

"I don't know Sam but the infection looks pretty bad. I don't know how he's managed to stay on his feet."

"Let me see you leg Sam, how bad is it?"

"No Bobby it's fine, look after Dean. Please."

"Damn stubborn the both of you. I can't do any more for Dean, we just have to keep him stable until help gets here. Sam, let me see your leg." Bobby demanded as he began checking the blood stained sheet wrapped around Sam's calf.

"Jesus, what in the hell happened to you two? After you called, Ellen asked me to take care of a job in Cravensbrook and I thought I'd get a little help but then couldn't get an answer on either of your phones." Bobby was shaking his head. "I thought you would've finished this job by now."

"There were two of them, we didn't know. Thought we'd killed it and were on our way out Bobby but then Dean started hearing it in his head. It had bitten him already and must've been tracking us. There was nothing, I didn't know there was two, I didn't know they were telepathic. God Bobby I stuffed this up, we didn't know what we were walking into and now Dean's hurt. Again."

"Sam you couldn't have known. I've been doing this job longer than I care to remember son, and, like I told you before, I only ever heard of one other hunter who'd come across a water devil and that would be Christopher Wallagey. Only problem, you couldn't trust him s'far as you could throw 'im. Was known for embellishing details a little so most chose to ignore much of what he said. This job is dangerous enough but relying on information that isn't true can get you killed a whole lot quicker. Sometimes you just gotta rely on your skills Sam, so you got nothing to be sorry about."

"You leg's stopped bleeding Sam but I think we should leave the bandage where it is and get you checked out as well."

Dean groaned and moved underneath the blanket. In an instant both Sam and Bobby were at his side. "Dean can you hear me?" Sam was not surprised when he got no response, placing a hand on his brother's forehead.

"He's burning up Bobby, it must be the infection. How long do you think until help gets here?"

Bobby's reply was cut short when Dean began frantically trying to move gasping and shaking his head. "No, no in my head I hear it Sammy it hurts. Please. Stop…" Dean breathing grew ragged again and he coughed twice, more blood spilling from his mouth.

"Dean it's over it's alright, you've gotta calm down, just try and breath slowly. Please Dean, just hang on."

Bobby made sure the boys were as warm as possible whilst they waited for help, wrapping them both in thermal blankets he had retrieved from the boot of his car before he started on the trail. Bobby looked up from Dean, squinting off into the bush, just to the right of the trail he had come in on as the sound of a vehicle was getting louder. "I'd say help is here Sam, they've used one of the fire trails to get a vehicle in here.' Bobby stood and waved his arms in the air as he ran towards the sound.

The next ten minutes were a blur of activity to Sam that he could not comprehend. His only focus was Dean and nobody tried to move him away from his brother so he was content to just sit there with one hand on Dean's ankle. He saw the oxygen mask placed over his older brother's mouth, then watched as tiny splatters of Dean's blood turned the inside of the mask a pale pink. He watched as they cut Dean's shirt off and inspected the bandage but left it still wrapped around his brother's ribs. He watched as his brother's chest continued to rise and fall in an unsteady pattern as the two paramedics checked eyes and lungs and everything else. He could hear them talking but was past even tying to make sense of it.

He jumped a little when Bobby grasped his arm "C'mon Sam can you stand up, they need to move Dean onto a stretcher and get him into the back of the ute. "

Sam nodded but didn't quite understand that meant letting go of Dean until Bobby gently but firmly pried Sam's hand away from his brother's ankle.

Moving actually restored Sam's senses enough to realise there were two paramedics and a ranger who had obviously driven them in through the fire trail. He followed Bobby to the large four wheel drive ute and watched as they gently slid the stretcher into the back. The ranger proceeded to secure the stretcher with straps from the roof rack and a paramedic sat on each side of Dean for the journey back to the road. Bobby and Sam sat by Dean's feet in the tray as well and tried to stop the stretcher sliding around too much.

Dean's face was too pale and still, he looked too young, too fragile for Dean Winchester. Sam watched Dean's face and was totally unaware when his body slumped, totally exhausted, alongside the stretcher next to his brother. The paramedic sitting next to Sam quickly checked the younger Winchester's pulse and gave Bobby a nod. "Tough lad, I didn't think he'd last this long."

Bobby rolled his eyes to the sky. "You have no idea!"

Sam became vaguely aware of his surroundings when he heard Bobby's familiar voice nearby, prompting him to open his eyes. He wasn't sure how long had passed but the only thing that suddenly mattered was that he couldn't see Dean. Everything looked white and a wave of dizziness overtook him as he tried to sit up until he was grounded by a strong hand and Bobby's calming voice.

"Easy son, it's okay we're at the hospital, you're in Emergency. Dean's with the doctors and they're taking him in for surgery. You're in shock Sam and they think you've got a concussion so the doctors gonna check you out too. No argument." Bobby added when he saw Sam's jaw set. Concussion or not he knew how stubborn these boys could be especially when it came to looking out for each other.

"Is Dean gonna be alright Bobby?" Sam winced as the bright hospital lights seemed to lance through his skull.

"He's got a punctured lung from one of his broken ribs but they're gonna fix that up now. That's why he couldn't breathe properly."

"What about his arm, he couldn't move it?"

"They need to check that out Sam, it's too early to tell but hopefully the antibiotics will get rid of the infection. We'll just have to wait and see if there's any damage okay. He's strong Sam and God knows about as stubborn as you and your father put together so just relax. You need to rest, and I'm not going anywhere just yet." Bobby crossed his feet at the ankles and set them on the side of Sam's bed and folded his arms resolutely.

"Feet off the bed please sir!" An older nurse with a ruddy face and the build of a football player stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Her booming voice made Bobby jump so high, his feet slid off the bed and he nearly landed on the floor.

"Yes maam." He replied sheepishly tipping his cap.

Despite Sam's pounding head and thoroughly battered body he couldn't help but chuckle at the battle worn hunter. "C'mon Bobby not afraid of a cranky old nurse are you?"

"Give me a demon or spirit any day." Bobby mumbled as he sank in the chair and slid his cap over his eyes.

Sam followed Bobby's lead and closed his eyes, unable to take his mind off Dean but unable to fight any longer the effects of the drugs that were now pumping through his system.

Bobby sat head in hands, watching Sam toss and turn restlessly. The boy couldn't even find peace in a drug induced sleep and Bobby hoped he had some good news on his brother to calm him when he woke. Unfortunately Bobby had overhead the doctors talking over Dean and now, no matter how hard he tried, the words infection and amputation swam in endless circles around in his mind.

**TBC…**


	18. Chapter 18

**Blood Bond**

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Supernatural…obviously.**_

**Chapter 18**

Dean knew something was wrong, he felt warm and disoriented and there was something over his face. Something pressing over his mouth and he had to get it off, had to get away. Get away and find Sam. Oh God Sam. He struggled to move his arms but they seemed too heavy, he opened his eyes a little but the sharp light bit through to his brain and he closed them again.

He knew he was starting to panic, he felt the fire in his chest when he tried to draw a deep breath. No, no, no – he had to wake up and find Sam. He felt a hand on his forearm and shoulder and managed to open his eyes a little. Although a little blurry, there was no mistaking the messy brown hair and worried expression of his little brother.

"Dean it's over, we're okay, it's over. You've got to leave the oxygen mask on for a bit, just relax and don't talk – you punctured a lung."

Sam. Dean was amazed at how relieved he felt just seeing that Sammy was alright. He nodded at Sam, realising he didn't have the energy for a conversation just yet. God Sam looked like shit but after all they had been through, Dean frowned as he suddenly remembered everything they had been through in the past few days.

"You…?" Dean gasped unable to finish.

"Dean what part of don't talk, punctured lung did you not understand. Although major infection, almost losing your arm, shock and concussion has probably made you a little soft in the head." Sam teased gently. The relief that Dean was finally awake after nearly two days had Sam grinning uncontrollably.

"Well Sam, hairline fracture and twenty stitches in your leg, not to mention blood loss and concussion – I'm guessing you're not on top of your game at the moment either." Bobby grinned at Dean as he entered the room.

"Good to see you finally awake son, gave us a scare for a while there. Especially your brother." He added gruffly.

Dean looked over at Sam, noticing the crutches discarded against the chair. Dean could see the concern in Sam's eyes even behind his goofy grin. He knew he had caused that worry but he was relieved that Bobby had been there with Sam.

"Bobby……" Dean whispered, he was determined to finish. "Thanks."

"Anytime Dean." Bobby held Dean's eyes for a moment before he nodded and looked away, adjusting his cap. "Well I got work to do so I'm gonna hit the road now you two are out of trouble for the moment."

Sam stood, balancing carefully before hobbling over to Bobby and shaking his hand. "You look after yourself Bobby."

"Right back at you Sam. You know where I am and I'll be expecting you when you're released - and I don't mean AMA. It's all taken care of." Bobby looked at each boy sternly before he walked out of the room.

Sam limped back over to the chair by Dean's bed and slowly sat down looking at his brother and shaking his head. "He was just as worried as me you know. The doctor said you're gonna be fine, just need some rest and food when you're up for it."

Dean nodded wearily, knowing he was slipping off to sleep but choosing not to fight it. A sudden memory made him open his eyes, struggling to speak.

"Dean, please try not to talk."

"Raccoon…pie." Dean grinned, his eyes already beginning to close.

"Oh you're obviously feeling a lot better, jerk." Sam shook his head, amazed of all the things for Dean to recall, it had to be his little shooting incident. All the tension and anxiety that had built up in Sam's body was released as he laughed and laughed.

"Bitch." Dean mouthed into his oxygen mask as he slid into oblivion with his mouth still tilted in a half smile.

Although it wasn't said out loud, Sam still heard it.

**THE END**

_a/n: Hope you enjoyed it... please let me know. I have a feeling I suck at endings but I'll try and improve next time!!_


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